Another Side Another Story
by Harkura
Summary: Matt thought that he had tied off any loose ends before he agreed to work with Mello on the Kira case. Mello had thought that he had put his past behind him. What happens when both Matt and Mello come face to face with the dark ghosts of their past?
1. Chapter 1

Manga: Death Note  
Rating: PG-13 to M  
Warnings: OOCness, Yaoi, Use of drugs, language, adult situations, lemon (not in this chapter however)  
Pairing: MelloXMatt

Matt leaned against the wall of the apartment complex, waiting for Mello to leave the building. He took a long drag on his cigarette and looked up at the top of the building as if he could see the blonde from where he stood. That would be nearly impossible, however. He took another drag from his cigarette then flicked it to the ground, putting it out with the heel of his shoe. He turned and looked at the building moodily shoving his hands in his pockets. Here he was trying to do something nice for Mello and the blonde didn't even have the courtesy to show up on time. He had been waiting impatiently for him for about thirty minutes. Matt smirked._ 'Probably doesn't want to go...but I told him that I have chocolate for him...so I thought he'd at least come out.'  
_  
Mello fidgeted with his shirt, observing his reflection in the mirror. Matt had invited him to go do something with him today. He thought it strange to just leave the case, but Matt had insisted it would be worth it. There had also been a few words exchanged about chocolate. Mello huffed a sigh, tugging at his shirt that barely covered his navel. Where was Matt taking him? It's not like he didn't trust Matt, it's just the man was always so quite. Adjusting his shirt one more time, Mello turned on his heals and headed for the door. He took the stairs of the apartment building slowly, taking his time. At the bottom, the metal door opened with a loud squeak, letting light fill the dark hall.

Matt glanced back as he heard the door open. _'Finally...' _He turned and walked over to the blonde. He held out the bar of German chocolate that he had bought for Mello. "Here..." It was odd; the blonde ate so much chocolate and yet seemed to not gain any weight at all. This fact confused Matt more then the last level of 'Dúr Arcania,' one of the most difficult games he owned. He gave Mello a slight smile, knowing that the blonde would go with him if he promised him more chocolate. It was nice to be able to have a secret weapon._ 'It's surprising that Kira doesn't try to use that against him.' _To Matt's knowledge, he was the only one that used Mello's love of expensive chocolate against him.

Mello walked over to Matt, taking the chocolate from him and examining it. It was a German chocolate, sweeter and richer than semi-sweet chocolate. He unwrapped it, taking a small bite out of the corner. Sweet and rich. Mello inwardly smiled and looked at Matt. "So where are we going?" he said, giving an approval and an affirmative that he would go with Matt. He continued munching on the candy.

Matt thought about what he should say. Did he want to keep it a surprise or just tell Mello? He considered the responses he'd get for both answers. There was a better chance to survive the surprise route. Mello could be rather dangerous when pissed off. "It's a surprise." He turned and started to walk away; glancing back to make sure that Mello was going to follow.

Mello shrugged off the answer and let it be a surprise. Walking quickly he kept pace with Matt, moving along side him. Maybe Matt had found a lead on Kira? Or had he actually found one of the death notebooks? Mello shivered, thinking about what this 'surprise' might be. He licked at his chocolate, giddy about what this new turn of events. He looked over at Matt, with his long sleeved, stripped shirt, and tight blue jeans._ 'The chances of him having more chocolate are slim.' _He thought, slightly disappointed.

Matt glanced at Mello; he had noticed the blonde look over him._ 'He's probably looking for more chocolate. Psycho...' _Even though he knew almost exactly what the blonde was thinking he couldn't help but blush a bit. Mello had such a piercing gaze it was almost like he could strip-- Matt shook his head. _'We're not thinking about that...'_ he scolded himself. He paused and turned a corner. Walking into an alleyway. He had hidden his bike there and walked to the apartment complex where Mello currently stayed so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. It wasn't like he expected Mello to walk to the amusement park.

Mello fallowed, walking into the alley with Matt. He noticed Matt's motorcycle waiting just off to the side. _'This place must be far away.'_ was one of Mello's first thoughts. The next was _'He's never let me ride this thing... where do I hold on?' _He approached the bike, letting Matt lead it. He was hesitant, waiting to see if Matt would give him instructions about what to do next. 

Matt smiled at Mello. He had never before let the blonde ride his bike and he doubted that he had even ridden one before. He rolled the bike to the end of the alleyway and swung his leg over so he was straddling the machine. He looked back at Mello and held out a helmet. "Put it on and get on behind me." He waited for Mello to do as he was told. He thought about omitting where to hold on from the instructions, but he didn't want Mello to fall off, and he was rather reckless, he could even admit that. "You can either hold on to the handle bars on either side of you seat, the back of the motorcycle," he paused giving Mello an oddly coy look, "or you can hold on to me, which is probably the safest."

Mello huffed a sigh, faking a frustrated and insulted face. He slipped the helmet on, and attached the strap under his chin. Giving one last weary look at the bike, Mello swung his leg over to get on. His first instinct was to back away, and not sit so close to Matt. However the bike had other ideas, making it so Mello was pressed as close as possible to Matt's back. Blushing a little, he searched for the handle bars. Finding said handle bars; Mello gripped them firmly and tried to pretend that sitting this close wasn't embarrassing.

Matt glanced back at Mello, barely catching the light blush. He raised an eyebrow then revved up the bike and tore out of the alleyway, "Hold on tight." He swerved into traffic, moving around cars with ease, going a good fifty miles per hour over the speed limit. He watched out for the police, he didn't really want to get pulled over today. Of course if you could go over 180mph they wouldn't bother, because they would never catch you.

Mello could barely hold on as Matt tore out of the alley. After a particularly frightening turn Mello abandoned all dignity and wrapped his arms tightly around Matt's lower half, pressing his face into his back. They were going to die, that was the only thought running through Mello's mind. He cursed himself, finding it was much easier to hold on to Matt to keep balance. With the scenery flying by, all Mello could really do is hold on to Matt for dear life.

Matt felt Mello grip him tightly around the middle. He wasn't trying to scare the younger male, but he had obviously done it. He wanted to get out of Kyoto before the traffic got bad. If Mello hadn't taken so long, he wouldn't have had to drive this fast. Once they made it out of Kyoto Matt slowed the bike down to a normal speed. He glanced back to make sure that Mello was okay. He couldn't tell from the position he was in. "You okay, Mello?" His voice came from the speakers in Mello's helmet. It was one of the reasons that he had, had Mello wear it.

Mello was surprised to hear Matt's voice so clearly. He figured the helmet must have been bugged. Mello hoped he hadn't heard him freak out and yell around that one turn. The question Matt had asked finally clicked, "Fine..." Mello croaked, letting his grip on his friend go slightly, but still holding on. The machine was a dangerous thing; Mello would remember to not ask for rides on it again.

Matt heard Mello responded through the ear piece that he was wearing on his left ear. He smiled. "I'm not that bad of a driver. I'm not going to crash, scouts honor." He chuckled taking a smooth curve heading toward Tokyo.

Mello seriously doubted that Matt had ever been a Boy Scout. People don't grow up building fires, singing camp songs, and roasting marshmallows to be like Matt. Unless Boy Scouts has a new 'How to kill your friends and never get caught' coarse, Mello would be skeptical about this 'scouts honor.' "Just get us there." Mello growled, feeling the muscles in his body start to cramp from the 'odd' position he was in.

Matt rolled his eyes. He wasn't surprised that Mello was skeptical of his driving. The blonde wasn't one to trust anyone except himself with his own life, and motorcycles were rather dangerous. Of course Matt had been driving one forever. They entered within Tokyo city limits a few minutes later. He got off the highway taking the back streets to keep Mello guessing. It would have been quicker to get to the amusement park on the highway but it would be too obvious and Matt knew other ways to get there.

Mello was lost. Matt had started taking back streets, and Mello had no idea where they were anymore. "Where are you taking me?" Mello knew he had already asked, but this 'surprise' was getting frustrating. The bike couldn't possibly be bugged at the speeds they were going, (the wind in the sound piece would break anyone's ear drums) and it's not like anyone knew what they were talking about. 

Matt chuckled; he knew that Mello would eventually ask again. "I told you that it was surprise, but you'll see it soon. We're not far away now." He smiled in spite of himself. He hadn't been to an amusement park since he was really little and he was sure Mello was the same. For some reason he was excited. It was odd, really, to be excited about an amusement park. Of course Matt loved things that went fast so just thinking of all of the roller coasters made him smile.

Mello glared daggers at the back of Matt's head. Fine, let this be a surprise. Shifting around, he continued to try and get comfortable. Mello felt as if he was hugging Matt from behind, rather then holding on. It seemed weird, seeing as the two hardly ever came in physical contact with one another. He knew that at any time during the day if he felt the need to contact Matt, he was just a cell call away, but rarely had they ever touched one another. Mello cursed himself for thinking to deeply and wished he had more chocolate. 

Matt glanced back at Mello. He could feel him shift against his back and kind of wanted to tell him to stop moving around so much. Every time the blonde shifted it sent an odd shiver up his back. It was really to be expected because even though they were, in most senses of the word, friends, they had never been in close contact. The closet Matt had ever been to Mello, before this, was sitting next to him on the couch in the apartment head-quarters that they used to share, before the Kira case forced them to move again. He shook the feeling off and concentrated on the rode. He glanced up a few minutes later; you could see the amusement park over the buildings and houses of Tokyo.

Mello started to notice the thinning of houses as they were supposedly getting closer to their destination. Was this a rural area they were going to? Was Matt dragging him all the way out into the country side? What could possibly be out there? Glancing up, he noticed some odd shaped buildings and structures in the distance. "Matt, what are those towers over there?"

The red head started to laugh quietly. Mello outsmarted him on a lot of things but apparently the blonde didn't know what an amusement park looked like. "That's our destination. Space Paranoia." He looked up at the amusement park; he could barely make out one of the rollercoaster drops. He smiled, _'This is going to be fun...' _If Mello freaked on the bike, Matt was pretty sure that he'd freak a lot more on the rollercoasters, but the red head was going to get him on at least one. No matter what.

Mello could feel Matt tense and laugh. "Space Paranoia? What the hell is that?" As they got closer Mello could see strange colors and shapes of twisted metal and garish buildings. "Matt, what is this? I don't understand." Mello had a demanding tone to his voice. As a small child he had spent most of his life at Whammy house, not venturing out into the world except for oddly arranged field trips. Whatever this place was, Mello had never heard of it.

_'Wow, he really doesn't have a clue.' _Matt had also grown up at the whammy house, but when he left he learned about the real world. Obviously unlike Mello and probably Near. He couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's confusion, even though he knew he would most likely hear the familiar click of Mello's gun as it was pointed at his head. He pulled out another chocolate bar and tossed it back to Mello, knowing the blonde would catch it with out thinking. "It's called an amusement park, you know with rides, like rollercoasters and such." He knew that Mello knew the definition of amusement park at least.

Mello caught the chocolate with little effort, only letting go of Matt with one hand. Amusement park eh? He had read about these, but spent little time on the subject. Things like this had never interested him as a child. He unwrapped the chocolate skillfully, licking it. Dark chocolate. Mello let himself be distracted by the candy as they pulled up closer to the park. "Who are we meeting here?" He took a large bit, chewing on the delicious candy.

"Meeting?" Matt started to laugh again. Mello was rather clueless when it came to normal stuff, or so Matt guessed. "No one...didn't I say that you needed a break from the Kira case? It'll be just the two of us. No one else knows about this..." He had made sure that they weren't followed, which is why they were riding this particular bike, it was untraceable. He wasn't going to let anyone screw up this day, especially "L" and Near.

Mello twitched, having the urge to pull his gun out and stick it to Matt's head to remind him who was in charge. He just couldn't understand what was so funny. Knowing Matt could feel his agitation, Mello kept quiet. "So this is a...break? We've come here to... ride these things? What will we learn from them?" A part of him wanted to just trust Matt and let him lead him though this crazy place. However, the deeper thinking part of him told his conscious to keep asking questions. 

Matt sighed. Mello was truly hopeless when it came to acting normal. He pulled into the parking lot. "The point my dear coco killer, is to let go and have fun." He pulled the bike into a parking space and shut it off. He turned a bit so he could see Mello; they're faces were only a few inches apart. "To relax got it? This has nothing to do with learning or thinking and I don't want to hear about the Kira case at all today." He knew that he was seriously overstepping boundaries with giving Mello orders, but he wanted Mello to take a break. "Please?"

Mello stared right back at Matt. Had he just called him a coco killer? The strange pet name had almost distracted him completely from the command given to him. Who was Matt to tell him what to do? However outrageous it seemed to take orders from someone who worked for you, Mello couldn't resist the sad, puppy like 'please', Matt had added at the end. "Fine... I will try to...'relax' with you." Mello gave Matt a skeptical look. "And refrain from talking about Kira." Mello shifted, ready to get off the bike. He tried to swing his leg over, but found getting off the bike was much more difficult then getting on.

Matt smiled. He had gotten as much as he wanted out of Mello for now. He was just happy that the blonde didn't show him where his gun was hidden. He got off the bike and made sure that it wasn't going to fall over any time soon. He looked up at Mello._ 'Probably doesn't know how to get off.' _Now Matt had two options, explain to Mello how to get off the bike or just pick him up. Matt chose the latter in the name of "science" he wanted to see how Mello would react. He stood straight and picked Mello up slightly bridle style, the blonde was fairly light and Matt was rather strong. 

Mello had been pondering how he was going to get off this bike for awhile now. Watching Matt had given no clues, and Mello was worried about how he would look struggling off this stupid contraption. Suddenly feeling Matt's arms around him, lifting him up, Mello gave out a small yelp of surprise. Instinctively he reached out for something to steady himself, letting his arms wrap around the back of Matt's neck. Mello was stunned, just looking at Matt has he held him bridal style near the bike. "Matt...put me down." Mello said quietly, yet with a deadly tone in his voice.

Matt couldn't help but blush when he figured out what position they were in. He had planned to put Mello down right away, but had found himself frozen as he was. That was, until Mello told him to put him down. Matt hastened to obey. Setting Mello down on his feet. He looked away, possibly even turning redder. Hopefully Mello wouldn't be too annoyed and demand that they leave. He had worked so hard to make this day work.

Mello tugged at his shirt, straightening the material. Matt just stood there awkwardly, Mello couldn't understand why. He had given him an order, and Matt had obeyed it. Deciding that it was nothing, Mello glanced at the park entrance, to the bag in the front of the bike, then back at Matt. "What do we do now?" He knew the question sounded stupid, but Mello was unsure of how to go about 'relaxing' and 'enjoying' this amusement park.

Matt blinked and looked at Mello. _'Good, he's still willing to humor me with this.'_ He smiled and walked toward the gates. "Follow me." They reached the front gates and Matt paid for two tickets to get into the park. It was then it hit him that what this might look like to someone on the outside. _'It's like we're on a date...wait...date? Friends can go to an amusement park together...but I am taking Mello here...so by definition is this a date?' _Matt shook his head and decided to drop the thoughts; he didn't need to calculate everything out like all of the other children trained to be L.

Mello fallowed, watching Matt pay for two tickets, and walk into the park. Sticking close to Matt, Mello was shocked by the amount of people at the park. Did people really come here that often? So many different signs and colors beckoned his attention, Mello felt slightly overwhelmed. From what he remembered from books about amusement parks was that people came here to ride on man made contraptions, eat strange fried foods, and play games. He could hear screams coming from one particular ride. He eyed it suspiciously. Did it 'hurt' to ride it? Why were people screaming? 

Matt found it a lot easier to take in everything at once. He was used to lights and multiple things going on at once, probably from his video games. He was okay with crowds, despite the fact that he was just as anti-social as Mello. Well, maybe not as anti-social... He glanced back at Mello, wondering how the blonde was taking it all. The younger male hadn't really been to anything similar to this, so it was probably all new to him. Matt stared at him for a moment; obviously Mello's brain was going to short circuit with trying to process all of the new information. "You've really never been to a place like this have you?" He had thought that Mello knew enough and been around enough people and seen enough festivals and such to be able to process an amusement park like a normal person, it seemed that this was not the case.

Mello blushed, noticing Matt observing him. "Why would I have any need to come to something like this?" He said hotly. From what Mello could tell, people came to this park in groups of two or more. He had never had someone offer to come to something like this with him. Who would come any ways? Near? Mello almost laughed at the thought. Mello decided to humor Matt and go along with whatever else he had in store for the day.

Matt gave a slight shrug. "Alright...I get it." Matt looked around Space Paranoia, he quickly memorized where certain things where and then grabbed Mello's hand, leading him to the rollercoaster that he wanted to ride first. It was more of a subconscious decision to grab the blonde's hand then anything else. Hopefully he didn't regret it later.

Mello let Matt lead him by the hand. It was an odd feeling to have such small, yet strangely intimate contact with the man. Mello would admit that Matt was older then him, but Mello had always been the one to dominate the conversation and atmosphere. This was the first time he had seen the older man so free and open. Leading them both to a strange ride, Mello read the sign in front of the entrance. "A Roller Coaster?"

Matt smiled and turned to Mello, letting go of his hand. "Yeah. We're going on it." He paused and thought a moment, if he should explain anything. "Just so you know...it'll go a lot faster then my motorcycle, but you'll be in a little box like car, so it's totally safe. They test it and everything every day." Matt wondered if Mello would agree...He would probably have to promise him more chocolate, since he didn't have any on him, or do something for Mello to get the blonde to ride it.

Mello made a face at Matt, unsure if he wanted to go on this ride. However the look on Matt's face was priceless. He looked so excited and happy, it was almost sickening. Giving a small shrug, Mello fallowed Matt into the entrance of the ride. _'I'll humor him.'_ he thought to himself.

Matt mentally did a victory dance. He figured that Mello was just humoring him, but it didn't change the fact that he was basically in charge of the day, making decisions and such. 'Probably because he has yet to figure out this place.' Matt leaned against one of the metal barriers; they were now waiting in line. He looked back at Mello. "Thanks for coming today..."

Mello crossed his arms, waiting. "Don't read too much into this, it's a one time ordeal. Don't think I'll do this again!" He glared half heartedly at Matt, looking around and observing the people around them. Mostly families and groups of young teens. The two men looked oddly out of place. Mello shifted uncomfortably, a few rows up a young couple were practically eating one another's face. They were making quite a scene. Mello pretended not to notice, like many other people in the line.

Matt gave a little sigh. "Alright..." He looked away from the blonde and up the line a little further, trying to figure out how long they would need to wait until they could get on the rollercoaster, but before he could start thinking about numbers a young couple caught his attention. They seemed more interested in each other then the line. Matt stared at them for a moment. _'They're two guys...'_ he thought relatively calmly, then wondered how many people in the line found it disgusting just because it was two guys. Suddenly his brain played a little trick on him and he saw himself and Mello doing the same as the young couple. Matt's eyes widened and he stared at the ground, face reddening, and not daring to look at Mello.

Mello noticed Matt's sudden change in demeanor. What was wrong? He could tell that Matt's face was red, and something was bothering him. "What's wrong? Why are you blushing?" Mello thought about this for a second. "Is it because I won't come with you to this again?" The line was starting to get dense, people pushing into one another. Mello stepped away from the man behind him who was getting unsettlingly close. Not noticing, Mello just kept moving closer and closer to Matt.

_'Shit!'_ He hadn't want Mello to notice. He was unsure of what to do next; he couldn't just tell the chocolate addict that he had just had a little day dream about them making out which had caused his heart to flutter semi-painfully in his chest. He looked up at Mello, willing his face to stop being red. This thought, however, was pushed out of his mind as soon as he saw just how close the blonde was to him. His heart started to flutter in his chest again. _'Dammnit...stupid body...'_ Mello was his boss and his friend, nothing more. It had taken him forever to get Mello to admit that he was his friend, he wasn't about to screw that up now. Even if... _'No, we're friends, nothing more!' _He told himself sternly.

Mello took a step closer to Matt, feeling the man behind him get ever closer. Mello was tempted to pull his gun out and tell the man to back off. Another part of him, however told his conscious that that would be a very bad idea. Mello was so preoccupied with the man behind him, he didn't notice the one if front of him. Suddenly Mello ran into something, he was chest to chest with Matt. The crowed behind them was closing in, and Mello had run out of space to move up.

Matt's eyes widened slightly, he stared at Mello. They were so close. His heart was beating even faster now. "Mello..." _'God...'_ Their faces were barely a foot apart, they had been closer on the bike but Matt had been able to focus on other things, now there was nothing else to focus on. The image of them kissing kept playing in the back of his head.

Mello noticed that line in front of the two started to move. People were starting to walk and get on to the ride. Matt, however seemed to not notice and stay stuck to the spot. Mello set his hand on Matt's chest, leaning up slightly to his ear. "Matt...move." He whispered, just trying to give him a little push to regain some personal space.

Matt's heart painfully skipped a beat. Still Matt followed the order he was given, despite the fact his brain was now permanently in lemon land. However, his body didn't seem to want to cooperate with his brain. He tripped and nearly fell on flat on his face; he would have if his quick reflexes hadn't thought ahead and had him grab the metal barrier. 'That was close.' He stood straight again, taking a deep breath, now that he was a little further away from Mello he could think slightly more clearly.

Mello sneered, watching Matt stumble and almost fall. _'Good job….' _he thought to himself. He was going to share this but Matt seemed in his own type of agony. Mello wondered what had gotten into the man. People in front of them were now entering, and the two fallowed after. A young kid with an ugly pullover ushered them into one of the lines, waiting for the roller coaster to come back from its previous riders.

Matt rubbed his eyes. He tried to get his brain focused and away from lemon land. _'The rollercoaster...just think about that.'_ He told himself this over and over. Eventually it worked and the image of him and Mello face fucking disappeared from his mind. Hopefully it wouldn't come back. The rollercoaster train soon came back and the riders were let off, then the new riders where allowed on. "Inside or outside?" asked Matt looking back at Mello.

Mello thought about this, not really sure what was the better choice. "...Inside is fine." Getting into the cart after Matt, Mello wasn't sure what to do next. Did they just sit here? Noticing a small seatbelt on his side, Mello tugged it on. Was this all? Suddenly the black metal bar that was in front of the pair came down, startling Mello. "Why is it doing that? I have the seatbelt on!" The black bar stopped snuggly in Mello's lap. Mello gave a slightly frantic look at Matt, unsure of how to make it go back up.

Matt jumped a bit when Mello freaked out. He had been right. He looked at the blonde. He gave him a reassuring smile. "It's cool. It's an extra safety precaution; it'll go back up at the end of the ride." He was calm, but excited. If he remembered what he read right, this roller coaster dropped and turned simultaneously, so it looked like you would go off the tracks.

Mello mumbled something Matt couldn't hear. Suddenly the ride started to move. A woman gave muffled directions over a load speaker, but could barely be understood. The ride clicked and cracked its way up a steep hill. "This can't be safe..." Mello said quietly. He was unsure of what to hold on to, finding a spot on the black bar to let them rest.

Matt glanced at Mello. "Don't worry, it is."


	2. Chapter 2

Manga: Death Note

Rating: PG-13 to M

Warnings: OOCness, Yaoi, Use of drugs, language, violence, adult situations, lemon (not in this chapter however)

Pairing: MelloXMatt

Matt stepped out of the car; he was still half laughing from Mello's reaction on the roller coaster. He knew he'd get the gun eventually. The day was probably over as well, but he couldn't help it. It was too priceless. He had never seen Mello scared before, and boy was he scared on the roller coaster. Matt waited for Mello to get off the ride.

Mello got off the ride on unsteady legs. He was shaking slightly, from shock or anger, he couldn't tell. Walking over to Matt, Mello grabbed the front of his shirt and leaned close. "I hate you...so much right now."

Matt still smiled. "You'll get over it."

Mello was still embarrassed about his reaction. Why did people do that to themselves willingly? The thought was just crazy. Suddenly Mello felt like he was going to throw up. Making a gagging sound, Mello covered his mouth, leaning on Matt.

He took a slight step back when Mello looked as if he was going to be sick. Pulling a face he stared at the blonde, who was currently leaning on him. "Don't throw up on me, man. I don't care how much you hate me. Can't you think of a better way to get me back that's not so disgusting?" He didn't really want to leave the park quite yet and if Mello got sick they would have to leave. "Come on, I know you can handle a small thing like this..." He brought up his pride so Mello would be able to regain some semblance of self and not be sick.

Mello gave Matt a small shove, walking away to go find somewhere to go sit down. Walking a short way away from the ride, Mello sat down on a bench. Coughing a little, he pulled out a small chocolate bar from the back of his pants and unwrapped it. Why did Matt take him here? They could have done something less...odd...to relax, couldn't they? Nibbling at the candy made Mello feel much better.

Matt huffed a frustrated sigh. He followed after Mello, thinking of what they could do that would make the blonde happy. He cast his mind for ideas. _'I think there's an arcade here...'_ He looked around. They were on a slight hill so it was pretty easy to see things that were around. He spotted an info kiosk. He glanced to Mello; the blonde would be fine there for a few minutes. Matt walked down to the kiosk and looked for an arcade, once he found out where it was he walked back to Mello. "Can you walk? I think I've found something here that you might like."

Mello crumpled the wrapper of the chocolate bar, throwing it at Matt and standing up. He was feeling better after all. "It better not be another roller coaster..." He said, glaring at Matt. Matt had been the one to take him here, so Mello felt he was subject to Matt's time frame. If he wanted a ride home, he would have to wait. Or, Mello thought to himself, he could just shoot one of the windows of a car in the parking lot and try and find his own way home.

Matt followed the chocolate wrapper with his eyes as it bounced off of him and rolled away on the ground. He looked back at Mello, with a slight smile, not perturbed in the slightest by having a wrapper thrown at him. "It's not, promise." He walked back down the hill, heading toward the arcade. It wasn't that far away. They shortly reached the semi-dark square building. Entering they were greeted by loud noises and music. Matt looked back at Mello, "See anything that interests you?" He was referring to the shooting games that were on the wall to their left.

Mello first noticed all the shooting games. He could tell, even from this distance that the guns were all fake. He also noticed some racing games. Various types of cars and motorcycle games were mixed with fighting, and dancing games. One thing however stuck out. A small stage was shoved into a corner, lined with TV's and a stand alone microphone. An evil thought occurred to Mello, "Loser has to sing." He said, pointing to a random shooting game.

Matt looked at the shooting game, he had seen it before and even played it a couple times. He knew that in real life Mello was a better shot then him, but the video game guns had a different alignment. "Deal..." He was positive that he would win. Then Mello would have to sing. He walked over to the game and pulled out a bag of quarters from his pocket. He picked up the gun on the left hand side. "Best two out of three?"

Mello picked up the toy gun, feelings its weight and checking its alignments. It was like a small hand gun, nothing more. Gripping and aiming, he took a practice shot. Everything seemed fine. Mello nodded for Matt to start the game. The concept was relatively simple, see a man shoot him. Mello aimed and shot at everything he could find, avoiding what appeared to be innocent people flailing their arms about. When the scores came up, Mello was almost 5 thousand points ahead of Matt.

Matt stared at the game screen then looked at Mello. _'Damn...' _He didn't know that Mello was that skilled with a gun. The alignment was different in these games and the blonde easily adapted. Giving a slight growl, Matt lifted his goggles off his eyes and placed them on his head. He had better vision now, he wore them so he had a challenge on most video games, but it seemed that he couldn't have handicaps with Mello. "Round two..." The game started again.

Matt sighed, holding the gun up and starting the game over again. This time they played a different course, but the concept was still the same. Aiming and shooting with ease, Mello quickly cleared without hitting the wrong targets. The game flashed winner, and Mello smiled smugly at Matt. "So what song are you gonna sing, you loser?" He put the gun back in its spot, crossing his arms.

Matt stared at the screen in disbelief. He looked at Mello; his first thoughts were that the blonde cheated. Of course they were quickly abandoned as Mello wouldn't stoop so low. He sighed and thought for a moment. Then an idea came to him. If Mello wanted him to sing, then Matt was going to use it to his advantage. Maybe it would get Mello to understand just why he followed his orders. "You'll see..." He sounded very confident as he walked over to the karaoke game.

Mello laughed, fallowing Matt over to the small stage. "Pick a good one, Matt." Mello was still smug about winning, and he wasn't afraid to show it. He was sure that Matt must be mortified that he had to sing in front of people. Mello let his hands fall to his hips, standing boldly watching Matt get up and start the machine.

Matt smiled at Mello. He stepped up on stage. He was still very confident. The music turned off and the video game's sound was turned down so the people in the arcade could hear. This he wasn't expecting, nerves set in a bit, but he was still pretty much calm. He was singing for maybe thirty people and Mello. He chose his song. The music started, calming slow violins and piano. _"Wise men say only fools rush in...But I can't help falling in love with you..."_ Matt didn't take his eyes off of Mello, obviously he knew the song and he could sing rather well. He was giving the distinct impression that he was singing just to Mello.

Mello was a little confused. He expected Matt to pick something a little different. He wasn't sure what kind of song it was that Matt was supposed to pick, but this definitely wasn't it. Mello listed to the lyrics, paling as they went on. Why was Matt looking at him as he sang this? Was this just to prove that he would do it, even when Mello thought he wouldn't? Some teenage girls started too crowed around the stage, admiring Matt as he sang. Mello crossed his arms protectively around himself, still looking at Matt, waiting for him to wimp out.

Matt noticed the girls, but didn't shift his focus. He could tell that Mello was confused. _'Good...' _He wanted him to be confused. Eventually the blonde would figure out the hints that he was dropping. _"Shall I stay...Would it be a sin...If I can't help falling in love with you...?"_ He sang out, not only proving that he would sing the song all the way though, but he would show off a bit. He was good singer, having been trained at the orphanage; of course no one knew that.

Mello felt flustered that Matt was looking at him. Pink rose in his cheeks as Matt's voice rang out over the speakers. _'Falling in love with you?' _That particular line stuck out in Mello's head. Matt's voice was soft, and perfectly in tone. _'I didn't know he could sing so well...'_ Mello shifted uncomfortably, but didn't break the eye contact. If this was a battle of wits, then Mello was not going to lose.

_"Like a river flows surely to the sea...Darling so it goes...Some things are meant to be..." _Matt couldn't help but smile as he sang the song. He saw how flustered Mello was becoming, but he also saw the blonde's determination not to break the eye contact. Matt assumed that Mello though of this as a challenge, it wasn't, completely. _"Take my hand..." _He held his hand out as if he wanted Mello to take it. _"Take my whole life too..."_ That was lyric...the reason why he chose this song, other then the actual meaning behind it. This would probably prove to Mello that Matt was really singing to him. _"For I cant help falling in love with you..." _

Mello didn't think it possible, but he felt like he was turning a shade darker of red with every word Matt sang. Why was this making him feel so weird inside?! When Matt reached his hand out something clicked inside of Mello. Matt wasn't just singing at Mello, he was singing to him. The girls in the audience seemed to have multiplied, and were now giggling and whispering as the ogled Matt. Mello stayed back, feeling violent jolts in his stomach. Part of him felt like turning on his heals and running and the other part felt like whipping his gun out and shooting the girls in the head just for looking at Matt. 'Love' was such a foreign word to Mello he felt like maybe he was misinterpreting it.

_'Looks like I have fans..._' thought Matt noticing all of the giggling girls. It was hard not to, they were quite loud. _"Like a river flows surely to the sea...Darling so it goes...Some things are meant to be..." _He noticed how red Mello's face was. _"Take my hand..."_ He stepped off the stage. He was positive that Mello had figured it out now. _"Take my whole life too..." _He moved closer to Mello, wondering if the blonde would run for it. _"For I can't help falling in love with you..." _Did Mello even know what 'love' meant? _"For I can't help...falling in love...with you..."_ The song ended.

Mello couldn't hold eye contact as Matt came closer to him. Looking at the floor, Mello hoped his blush was secluded to just his face. He could feel warmth spreading down from his neck to his arms, and down his torso. Matt...loved him? No one had ever said something like that to him. Was this all just a ploy to embarrass him? He could sense Matt getting closer. Mello wrung his hands nervously and tried to get them to quit shaking.

Matt looked at Mello, he had never seen the blonde so nervous before. "Mello? You okay?" He wondered if he really had that much effect on him. Before he could press the matter further, he was grabbed by one of his 'fan girls' and dragged away and pressed into conversation. As he was forced to talk to the girls he kept looking over at Mello.

Mello couldn't get his body to move. He just stood shaking, unable to grasp what had just happened. Love...love...he was just hooked on the word. Matt loved him. Loved HIM! Mello finally looked up, ready to see Matt. Ready to say maybe he loved him too. Did he love Matt? Matt was the only person he ever really enjoyed, ever really sorta kinda cared about. If that wasn't love then he wasn't sure what was. Mello now searched more franticly for Matt, not able to see him in the crowd anymore. What if he was already gone? Gone with one of those girls? No, Matt wouldn't just leave. Mello felt rage fill him. Pulling a small hand gun out of the back of his pants, he fired a few shots into the air, causing glass to rain from the ceiling. The ripple effect of people ducking to the floor at the loud sound was almost instant. The only two people left standing, unaffected, were Matt and Mello. Matt stared at Mello, he could see just how pissed the blonde was. He was sure that he was coming over to blow his head off. Mello stormed over to Matt, people scurrying to get out of his way. Glass crunched under his boots, and the lights flickered from being shot. As soon as Mello was close enough, he slowly wrapped his arms around Matt's waist tenderly.

Matt was surprised and relieved when Mello wrapped his arms around his waist. He smiled, his heart jumping into his throat. Could it be possible? Could Mello really feel the same about him? Maybe he would...Matt leaned in and tentatively placed his lips on Mello's, hoping that he didn't feel Mello's gun at his temple from this action.

Mello kissed back, slow at first, then with more passion. His heart was going so fast that Mello thought it might give out at any moment. He couldn't verbalize how he felt at that exact moment, but he hoped that his actions would be enough for Matt. When they broke apart, Mello was panting slightly. "I think...we need to leave." He broke eye contact, looking around the now deserted arcade.

Matt looked around the arcade quickly. "I think that might be a good idea." His face was slightly pink and he was breathing heavily. He felt light, it was an odd feeling. Mello loved him back, or at least liked him enough to kiss him, if that was the case it would have to do for now. He grabbed Mello's hand, "Come on..." He led Mello out a back door, heading toward the parking lot. They reached his bike a few moments later. He looked at Mello. "Ready to get back on this thing, I know how much you loved it last time." He could help but be a little sarcastic.

Mello enjoyed holding Matt's hand for the period of time it took to get from the arcade to the parking lot. "Just don't kill us." Was all Mello had to say, while he watched Matt get on the bike. Flipping his leg over the back, Mello swung himself up on the back. Matt helped him strap the helmet on as the bike started. Instead of trying to scoot back from Matt, Mello let himself just lay against the man, wrapping his arms around his lower middle and resting his face in the crook of Matt's neck.

Matt felt Mello move close and wrap his arms around his middle. The red head blinked, he felt the difference in how Mello was holding onto him from before. It felt nice but it was distracting as well. It felt too good. Matt shook the thoughts from his head and tore out of the amusement park parking lot. He took the back roads at a much higher speed, making sure that they lost anyone that might've started to follow them. "We're going to my hide-out for a bit, the incident in the arcade probably brought attention to us. I don't want you to get caught or killed." He sounded worried about the blonde and less informative, while usually he was just informative when he took charge, and that happened even less often.

Mello nodded, laying a kiss on the side of Matt's neck as a thank you. Holding on tightly, Mello noticed the change in Matt's tone. He seemed more caring. It could be that he just lacked a lot of emotion in his voice before. Whatever the change was, Mello liked it. He had never been to Matt's 'hide-out' only calling him on his cell phone when he was staying there. Mello was interested to see what the insides looked like.

Matt smiled, feeling his body increase in temperature as his face reddened from Mello's actions. He took a breath and focused on the task at hand. Mello didn't know that they were actually being tailed by another person on a motorcycle. Matt glanced back, the person was still there. He glanced to the right and took a sharp corner, nearly getting them hit by a Semi. He took a sharp left and got onto a different main rode, weaving through traffic without effort, he increased the speed going over 180mph, the police would leave them alone and they should be able to get away, they had at least put distance between them already.

Mello grip tightened around Matt as soon as they took that corner. "Matt! Why are we going this fast?" Mello couldn't help but shake a little. He hated this awful machine. Mello's heart skipped a beat the second he heard the loud Semi horn blow as they weaved just out of its path. Mello kept his face pressed in the crock of Matt's neck as they speed around.

He would be lying if he said that his heart didn't skip a beat when they were almost hit by that Semi. "We're being followed." That was all he needed to say for Mello to understand, but he doubted that the blonde would feel any better. He hadn't had much experience driving at speeds over 150mph and he was going 180mph. It was necessary to stay away from the cops but it was hard to take sharp turns at this speed. He slowed down a bit taking another corner, heading back onto empty back streets to see if the motorcyclist was still following them. He glanced back seeing two this time. "Fuck!" He put on a huge burst of speed. "Mello, forgive me for this." He was about to do something extremely dangerous. He took a sharp left and went up a ramp shooting across the street in the air; they landed in a high rise parking lot.

Mello couldn't hide the shout that came as they jumped off onto the ramp. He had almost a painful grip on Matt, trying to hold on for dear life. "Matt..." Mello wouldn't hide it, he was scared. It might be different if this was a car, but the lack of shelter around him was an intensity that Mello didn't appreciate.

Matt winced when they landed, it jarred his spine weird. The bike skidded oddly, _'the alignment is off...shit...'_ He was having trouble breathing because of the tight, nearly death grip Mello had on him. Matt took a right around the circle heading down the levels of the parking ramp. He heard a bullet ricochet. _'Damn...' _They were shooting at them. Suddenly the bike jerked violently to the left. It started to fall over as the back wheel turned toward the front. They had hit a tire. Matt turned and wrapped his arms around Mello, trying to protect the blonde as they fell and the bike spun away. They hit the ground and rolled away from the bike, Matt head let go of Mello on the initial hit, letting the blonde rolled behind a car, so he wouldn't be seen. _'They're only after me...'_

The initial jerk of the bike was when Mello knew that they had lost control. Before Mello could even blink, Matt had his arms around them and they were falling. Mello didn't even have time to return the embrace, feeling the cold concrete come up to meet them. Mello hit the ground, the sound of the helmet smashing the concrete and being ripped from his head sounded far off. The power of being thrown off the bike and the wind being knocked out of him disorientated Mello. 

As the blonde lay concealed by the car, the two men left their bikes a short distance away from the crash, approaching Matt's half conscious body. One of the two nudged Matt with his foot, turning him on to his back to see his face. Matt gave a slight groan, when he was kicked in the side to roll him over. The other pulled a gun out of a holster on the side of his pants and began to load it. "Found you," he said cruelly.

The other pulled out a cell phone, he dialed a number. It was quiet for a moment, before the assassin with the cell phone started to speak to the person on the other end of the line. "We found him; we are allowed to kill him right?" Another pause, "Excellent." He gave a nod to his partner, who smirked.

Matt opened his eyes slightly, to see the gun point at his head. For the first time he felt afraid of a gun. He had become used to seeing it as Mello pulled his on him usually twice a day. This was different; he knew that Mello wouldn't actually shoot him, while these two had come here for that specific purpose. _'At least Mello is safe; they're not concerned about him. As long as he doesn't see their faces there's no reason to hurt him. Hopefully he'll just stay hidden.' _Matt reached inside his vest to pull the gun out, when he got it out it was brutally kicked out of his hand, on of the men put a foot on his chest and pushed down. Matt gasped, his ribs could easily break under the strain.

Mello had heard Matt groan. Struggling to be conscious, he turned to see what was going on. One of the men was brutally stepping on Matt, while the other had a gun pointed at his head. Something inside Mello clicked, reaching into the back of his pants; Mello felt his gun tucked safely where he had left it. Slowly he took it out, and pulled himself up from the ground. His left leg and side hurt, having taken most of the impact from the fall. Wincing he struggled to stand, using the car as a shield and support. Aiming the gun, Mello had no second thoughts as he heard Matt scream slightly from what must have been a new broken rib. Pulling the trigger was easy, watching the man who had his foot on Matt's chest convulse as his head seemed to explode from one side, spewing blood. Matt felt the weight lift off of his chest. He saw the man fall backwards half his face torn off. The body hit the ground with a sickening thud, as the other man turned the shoot at Mello. The car next to him deflected the bullets. Mello only had to let off one more shot as the other man crumpled to the ground, his left eye gushing blood.

Matt grimaced as he saw the other man fall, just as dead but not as gory. Matt sat up slowly, "Mello...thank you..." His voice was quiet, he sounded ashamed. _'I should have never lost control of the bike like that.' _He felt pathetic, having to rely on Mello to save his own ass.

Mello hobbled over to Matt, half sitting half collapsing down next to him. "You ok?" He asked quietly, worried that maybe they had really hurt Matt. Mello could feel a bruise already starting to form on his left hip, and under his right eye. The impact of hitting the ground had caused painful, but not devastating wounds. Matt however, had taken the real force of the fall.

Matt stood; he swayed a bit on his feet. His back and chest hurt. Luckily or unluckily for him, depending on how you saw it, he had fall off his bike maybe times at high speeds and through that learned how to avoid most serious injuries. However, it was still possible that he had a concussion. He was just happy the assassin didn't break his ribs. He turned to Mello, a fake smile on his face. "I'll live, you're okay right?" He sounded concerned for the blonde, but at the same time annoyed. Albeit the annoyment was toward himself more then Mello. He held his hand out to the blonde. "We need to get out of here...you okay enough to ride one of those?" He jerked his head toward the assassin's bikes.

Mello took Matt's hand, pulling himself up (but mostly by his own power, not wanting to hurt Matt.) "I'll manage, just don't go to fast or I'll lose you." Mello wobbled over to one of the bikes, sliding a leg over and looking for how to turn it on. Once on he turned the kickstand up. The bike swayed dangerously to the left, Mello unable to hold it up with his bad leg. With an enormous amount of effort, he managed to correct himself and steady the bike. Once they got going, keeping it steady wouldn't be a problem.

Matt sighed. He knew that Mello would loose him if he pulled anything like he did before. He walked over to his now destroyed bike. He took the bag off of it; amazingly it was still in pretty good condition. He pulled out a disk shaped machine. He attached it to the bike, and then walked over to Mello. He handed him a communicator, similar to one that he was wearing. "If we get separated this will tell you were to go." He leaned down and kissed Mello softly, then walked over to the other bike and got on. "Put the communicator on now." Matt started the bike. He took off rather slowly down the parking lot ramp so Mello could follow him.

Mello fastened the communicator to himself, kicked off and followed Matt down the ramp. "Are we very far?" He asked, checking to see if the communicator worked.

Matt thought a moment. "Twenty minutes...or so." _'Hopefully we won't run into anything.'_

Mello felt bad for having to leave Matt's bike where it lay. He knew how much the man loved that thing (even if it was a dangerous killing machine.) Matt pulled out on to the street, Mello close behind him. The bikes made loud roaring noises as they worked their way down back streets. Street lamps were slowly flickering on as the sun set. Cold and darkness crept in and behind buildings as Matt and Mello weaved their way through parked and silent cars.

They reached the main streets a few moments later, once they were a few miles away Matt pulled out a small detonator and his bike along with that entire floor of the parking lot exploded. The building started to fall. He tossed the detonator off the bridge they were crossing. Hopefully that would through them off of his trail.


	3. Chapter 3

WARNING: This chapter is rated **M** for mature. And a note to people who aren't Yaoi (boyXboy) fans, I'd hit the back button right now. Believe me it will take up less time and energy then anything else.

**Chapter Three**

The twosome reached the small house that served as Matt's hide out. It was near the outskirts of Tokyo city. It was a simple two story box house. The outside was painted red, but the paint was pealing from years of weather wear. Matt rolled his bike into the two and half car garage; there were many other bikes inside. "There's a bathroom on the second floor, first door to the left, if you want to attend to your wounds." Matt sounded still rather depressed. He started to work on the bike that he had brought in, he was planning to take them both apart and sell some of the parts, while keeping some of the harder to find parts as spares.

Mello rolled the bike into an empty space in the garage. He had heard the explosion as they drove away from the accident site. Putting two and two together wasn't hard, and Mello knew the loss Matt probably felt over one of his favorite bikes. Instead of staying along side Matt, Mello figured he needed some time alone. Wondering up some stairs to a door, Mello ventured inside the house.

Matt watched Mello leave out of the corner of his eye. He stood and sighed, leaning against the bike. Rubbing his eyes he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. Taking out on and lighting it he took a long drag of the cancer stick. Letting the smoke out with another sigh, he looked around the garage. He only had five really good bikes left, he'd have to either build more or buy them. Neither was an appealing choice at the moment. He had to run too much, probably more then Mello. He had killed too many people that he shouldn't have and too many people were now out for his life, not to mention Kira probably wanted to get his hands on him as well.

888

None of the lights were on and the house was in almost a sickening state of clean. Taking the path Matt had suggested Mello soon found the bathroom. Flipping the switch, Mello was disgusted with his image in the mirror and light flooded the small room. Months earlier he had sustained a gross burn to his left side. Having no sleeves to stop road burn during the crash, Mello had deep red cuts and burns over his already marred skin. "Uhh..." Touching the sticky, bruised mess, Mello looked for some bandages to clean and cover it.

After a while Mello managed to find bandages, getting them on was another story. With one good arm, he attempted to tightly wrap and clean his arm. "Fuck!" Mello was getting frustrated. When it came to wounds over his already marred skin, he was a baby. The spot would never look the same. Picking up more gauze, Mello started back at trying to tend to his arm. The house was getting cold, and Mello had a far off thought that he would need a different shirt.

888

Matt took another drag on his cigarette, then put it out and walked into the house. He walked over to the couch in the living room and sat down, wincing as his back cracked a bit. He was defiantly going to be sore in the morning if nothing else.

Matt looked up at the ceiling, when he heard Mello swear. He got up and went upstairs. He figured that Mello might have trouble with the bandages. He appeared at the bathroom door a few seconds later. He watched the blonde struggle with the white gauze, and then sighed. "You need help." It was a more of a statement then a question. He took the gauze from the blonde's hand and started to bandage his arm correctly.

Mello jumped at the sound of Matt's voice, glaring at him. When Matt started to bandage his arm however, Mello gave up all resistance and just let him do it. It stung a little, but Mello was determined not to make any sounds. Where was Matt hurt? How was it that he seemed like nothing had even happened? Mello looked Matt up and down, checking for any obvious wounds that my plague him at the moment.

Matt finished with bandaging Mello's arm. He stood straight, wincing as his back popped oddly. Other then that he gave no sign of being hurt. This was probably pissing Mello off, the fact that he looked unscathed by the crash. "I'm sorry...I didn't want to get you mixed up in that..." His voice sounded oddly raspy, it got that way when he smoked, he didn't smoke often, because Mello didn't like it and he was around the blonde so much.

Mello saw Matt wince as he moved around. That alone was enough to tell Mello that he was playing the 'tough guy' roll and acting like he wasn't hurt. Placing a hand on Matt's cheek, Mello leaned up, kissing him. It was a light kiss, meant to tell him that everything was ok, and he wasn't extremely pissed. The lingering taste of Matt's cigarette plagued Mello's lips as he pulled away. "You know I don't like it when you smoke that shit. It makes you taste bad." Mello licked his lips, as if trying to get Matt's taste, and the cigarette to separate.

Matt lifted an eyebrow. That wasn't the original reason the blonde had gave, but he liked this one better. "Yeah...well, it keeps me calm...you've got me to cut down to less then one a day." He used to smoke almost whole packs a day before he met Mello.

Mello flexed his arm, checking it in the mirror. The bandages were well tied, and would last awhile. Inspecting the cuts on his face, he decided that those would probably heal right on their own. The only problem would be that they looked bad. Mello had prided himself on his appearance, even if he didn't talk about it. His thin figure and well toned body were his pride in his over all look, what were a few maiming scares? "Now if only I could get you to ride a safer vehicle."

Matt chuckled good naturedly. "Cars aren't fast enough for me. I can't get away from assassins or catch my mark in a car, I've tried. They're just not as good as a bike." He crossed his arm leaning back on the counter. "Besides you can't control every aspect of my life, you've made me give up drinking already, haven't you? Let me keep my bikes, Mello." He sounded a little annoyed. It was the first time that he had seemed to dislike the control that Mello held over him.

Mello paid him no mind as he inspected his reflection. It wasn't that he was trying to control him; he just didn't want Matt to hurt or kill himself. Mello would never admit that to him though. Standing up straight, Mello finally looked at Matt. "This place is cold; do you have anything else to wear?" Mello gestured to his clothes, slightly torn with little coverage. No wonder Matt was always dressed like it was fecking winter; this place had a monster of an air conditioning! "I could find it myself, but if you're trying to hide anything in here, I'll find it."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Just your birthday presents for the next sixty years." He beckoned Mello to follow him. He walked down the hall and entered a door on the right; it was the second to the last door. He walked over to a closet and pulled out a black long-sleeved shirt that looked like something Mello might have worn. He pulled out a pair of black leather pants as well, noticing that Mello's were torn up pretty badly. He handed the clothes to the chocoholic, "Will this be good enough, cause I have sweat shirts in my room that you could wear, though they might be a bit big on you, they're mine." Matt was lithe for a man but he was nearly as skinny as Mello. Plus most of his clothes here were a bit too big for him.

Mello took the clothes, setting them on a table and undoing the front of his shirt. The small vest proved more difficult to get over the bandages then Mello had thought it would be. Finally detaching it from his body, he folded it and added it to the pile. Next came his torn pants. Flicking the button to the fly open, and pulling his gun out of the back of his pants, Mello looked up at Matt. "I don't have anything on under this, I need you to leave." He said in a rather unflinching voice. Mello wasn't ashamed to take his clothes off; he just wasn't sure how comfortable Matt was with it.

Matt had followed Mello with his eyes as the blonde walked over to the bed, finding himself drifting off while watching younger male. He was brought back to earth when Mello spoke. Matt blinked, "R-right." He shook his head, what was he doing? Did expect Mello to strip in front of him? He had to be going crazy or his IQ was dropping. His face reddened a bit as he moved to leave the room.

Mello didn't wait for Matt to leave before removing his pants. Mello inwardly smirked, holding the shirt up to his body. It smelled just like Matt. He could hear the door being reopened. Slipping the shirt on over his head, Mello found it a few sizes to large. The bottom hung down like a whorish dress, while the sleeves seemed to have stretched beyond humans limits over the years. He was completely covered, but part of him couldn't help but tease Matt. "Look at this thing, its huge." He hoped the tone in his voice was torturing Matt.

Matt froze at the door. It was taking to much restrain not to turn around. His face was a light pink. "I've had it for a while...sorry it's so stretched out, at least its warm."

Mello sauntered over to Matt, not caring about his lack of clothes. "Do you have another shirt? This one might not be enough..." Mello was close behind Matt, who just wouldn't turn around. The neck of the shirt Mello wore was falling over one shoulder, giving him the appearance of just waking up and throwing his lovers clothes on.

Matt swallowed hard; he could feel how close Mello was to him. He knew that the blonde was teasing him. "I could get you one of my sweatshirts or..." He let the sentence hanging seeing what Mello would turn it into, trying to see if his brain was moving along the same lines as Mello's.

Mello smirked, "…Or what Matt?" He couldn't resist. Closing the distance between the two, Mello wrapped his arms around Matt gently. He was worried he would hurt Matt seeing as he was still unsure about where Matt was injured.

Matt smirked and turned in Mello's embrace. The rational part of his brain was screaming at him not to do anything stupid. His back was injured, if he went too far he'd be paralyzed by sex, quite literally. He whispered in Mello's ear, "Or I could keep you warm..."

Mello felt like he had won. Matt was slightly taller then him, so Mello leaned up to kiss Matt's neck. "Mmm, I like that idea more." Mello leaned in closer, pressing against Matt.

Matt smiled and wrapped his arms around Mello's waist. "Do you..." He put two fingers under Mello's chin and lifted his head up, pressing his lips against the blonde's. He broke the kiss after a moment. "I thought you might." He kissed Mello again, this time a little more forcefully, running his tongue along the male's lower lips silently asking permission to enter the blonde's mouth.

Mello moaned, letting Matt enter his mouth. The new sensations were amazing. The feel of Matt so close was almost too much to handle. Mello clung to the man, letting him dominate him for a small while. Mello knew that eventually he would take charge, but for now he would let Matt enjoy the dominance.

He was actually slightly surprised that Mello was allowing him to have the dominance in this act, but he decided to not think about it. He focused on the kiss, his tongue exploring every inch of Mello's mouth. He took his time as if he was trying to commit everything to memory, the taste and feel of Mello's mouth, while listening to the soft incoherent moans escaping from the younger male's lungs. Matt laced the fingers of his left hand into Mello's golden tresses, his other hand positioned on the small of the chocoholic's back, pressing their bodies firmly together.

Mello felt Matt wrap him up tight in his arms. He could feel Matt's hand pressing firmly on his lower back, almost pulling him up. In one swift movement, Matt picked him up and Mello wrapped his legs around the man. Mello's hands in turn moved into Matt's hair, discarding his goggles on to the floor. "Mmm...Matt...bed." Mello mumbled out between kisses.

A/N: Sorry guys, doesn't allow Lemons, I have more to this chapter. (Meaning yes there is a lemon) If you want it you can go my deviant art (www(dot)hirakonomidamino(dot)deviantart(dot)com) or e-mail me and I will send it to you. Happy reading


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: My comp is evil honestly. I tried to update this chapter a zillion times. I couldn't figure out why the thing was 12MB it was weird. Apparently I had a table in it that I didn't know about. It's weird. Well, I've got it fixed and I can update now. So here you are. Enjoy. Read and Review please.

**Chapter Four**

Matt woke up feeling very warm and comfortable. He rolled over and came face to face with Mello. He smiled remembering the events from the night before. He leaned over and kissed Mello on the forehead. He looked so docile while he was sleeping, it was cute. It was hard to believe that he could harm anyone or that he was so quick to anger. Matt gave a little sigh. "The angelic face that hides the devil inside..." The quote described Mello to a T really.

Mello felt something warm lean into him. Unconsciously he rolled closer, just wanting to relieve the cold he felt. The air above the blanket was crisp, and whatever was next to him was a soft warm object. A small voice in Mello's head shouted to him that this thing he was moving closer to was Matt. That was right, Matt! Mello had never been one to wake up quickly, having a low blood pressure in the morning. Memories of last night flooded into his mind like an unblocked damn. Lazily Mello opened an eye to find Matt looking at him. "Mmm..." Mello sighed sleepily.

Matt wondered how Mello would react to waking up with him so close. He instinctually backed off slightly, as if he thought the night before didn't give him any permission to be so close to the blonde. He was used to having the set rule of how close he could come; currently he was still breaking it being only a half a foot away from Mello. He looked into the younger male's ice blue eyes, he obviously wasn't fully awake. He was unsure how to deal with the situation at hand, maybe he was thinking too much into it...

Mello growled frustratingly. All his work at moving closer to Matt was wasted as the man rolled away. Mindlessly, Mello reached over, groping around for Matt. "Uhh...get back over here..." He found the man's hip, pulling him back over. The same small voice in the back of Mello's head reminded him that neither of them had clothes on, but what did that matter? "...Cold...I'm." Mello's speech slurred as he fell back into a light state of sleep now that he was warm again.

Matt blinked as Mello dragged him closer again. He was slightly confused. Never before was had he been allowed to be so close to Mello, with the exception of last night. He didn't regret it all, but he was worried that Mello would. He had already told the blonde that he loved him. Mello said that he was cold...Matt wrapped his arms around the blue eyed male letting him snuggle closer. _'Don't hate me...'_

Mello vaguely acknowledged Matt wrap him up in his arms. His eyes were struggling to stay open as sleep took over Mello once again. The feeling of being cared for as he slept was extremely unfamiliar, yet reassuring. Forty five minutes passes as Mello fell in and out of sleep quietly. Every time waking to a strange feeling of being held. He would wake slightly with a start, and then realize it was Matt and fall back to sleep. Mello had always been good at being aware of his surroundings, yet with Matt there watching, Mello let everything go.

Matt drifted in and out of sleep himself. After awhile he shifted to get into a more comfortable position, his arms had started to fall asleep. As he moved he felt a sharp pain shoot up his spine. He gasped and closed his eyes waiting for the pain to pass. It did after a bit and he let out the breath he was holding. He looked at Mello, who had drifted back into sleep for probably seventh or eighth time. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of the younger male's face. He smiled, he couldn't help it, Mello was so beautiful and he was in his arms.

Mello finally awoke, feeling able enough to get both eyes open and observing his surroundings. He had slept better then he had in months, not waking up drawing his gun at every sound made. Looking up, he noticed Matt watching him. Feeling flustered, Mello rolled away to sit up in the bed. Letting his legs hang over the edge, Mello had his back to Matt, not caring about his lack of clothes. He rubbed his bandaged arm tenderly, remembering the new scares distastefully.

Matt sat up slowly, leaning on his right arm. He stared at Mello's back. This was what he was afraid of. Mello had immediately drawn back, moved away when he was fully aware of the situation. What was going to happen now? Matt sat up a little more fully. He winced at the pain his back, he knew that it was a bad idea but he had been caught up in the moment, the passion and pleasure. Now he had to deal with his probably fractured back, optimistically it was only bruised. "Mello?" his voice was soft, he sounded unsure.

Mello noticed his gloves lying on the floor near the foot of the bed. Reaching down, he picked them up and pulled them on. Rarely had he ever taken them off, but getting caught up in the moment last night, they were taken off. When Matt said his name, Mello turned to look at the man. Suddenly he froze, hearing a distinct walking sound on the floor above them. Pulling his eyes away from the ceiling, Mello made eye contact with Matt.

Matt glanced up to the ceiling. He looked back at Mello. His eyes said it all. _'They've found me.'_ He had been so careful. He was used to having assassins sent after him, for some reason he now couldn't keep himself hidden. He looked at Mello, his brain for a moment, playing a trick on him that Mello was the cause of it all, that the blonde had sold him out for some information on the Kira case. He cast the thoughts from his mind as soon as he was finished thinking them, he knew that he was being stupid. Mello would sell him out like that, not while he was still useful...but was he still useful? _'No...stop thinking that.' _Matt got out of the bed and pulled on his jeans. He pulled a gun out of a drawer and loaded it.

Mello walked around the bed, finding a pair of Matt's jeans and putting them on. The black and white shirt that had been discarded was found on the other side of the room. Mello slipped it on, finding it to still be many sizes to big. Making eye contact with Matt again to make sure he was ready, Mello took his gun off the table and headed over to the door. Turning the door knob slightly, Mello's ears were assaulted with the sound of a deafening explosion. He felt an invisible force flinging him backwards off of his feet. The door itself was blown off the hinges, but thankfully took must of the force of the explosion. Mello yelped in surprise, landing on his back with an intense thud across the room.

Matt turned as Mello opened the door, he was far enough back as to escape the explosion which was not big, just enough to blow the door down and startle those inside, maybe injure who ever opened the door. It was hard to tell if the bomb had been rigged up that way or not. He watched as Mello flew across the room hitting the floor. Matt was by his side not a second later making sure that the blonde was alright. He realized his mistake too late, only when a bullet ripped through his bare shoulder. He fell to his hands and knees gripping his shoulder. He glared back at the shooter. He let off a few rounds in the shooter's direction. He caught him in the chest with the second shot, while the first missed completely and the third caught him in arm. Matt's version was becoming blurred and distorted as pain shot up his back and through his shoulder. _'Shit!'_

Mello had the wind knocked out of him. Finding it hard to breath, he wheezed, trying to regain his composure. Matt was by his side when the first shots rang out. Seeing Matt flinch, firing back, Mello knew he had been hit. Doing his best to keep his breathing even, Mello groped around for his gun that had been knocked out of his hand by the blast.

Matt shook his head closing his eyes for a moment, forcing his body to ignore the pain. He looked at Mello. "Get out of here." He stood and turned. The man that had blown down the door was dead but there were at least two others in the house. Matt disappeared from the room heading off to search for the other two men. He had grabbed a second gun on his way out. He didn't know if Mello would do as he said, but he hoped that the blonde didn't get himself hurt or worse killed.

Mello coughed, watching Matt leave the room and finally getting his breath back. _'Since when do you give me orders Matt?' _Mello sat up, seeing his gun slightly under the bed. He picked it up, getting to his feet slowly. A small amount of blood stained the now ruined carpet. "Matt..." Mello mumbled angrily. The man was hurt, and taking on to much. Mello figured that Matt could handle anyone else in the home, or at least drive them out. Heading out over the broken fragments of door, Mello headed for the front door. When the people inside decided to run, he would be waiting. Down the stairs, Mello cautiously opened the door to the garage. As soon as he was down the small set of stairs he was caught off guard by the sound of a gun click. "Don't move Blondie." Mello looked angrily at a man holding a gun to his head.

He glared at the man. He was a well built guy, slightly taller then Mello. Mello knew that in hand to hand combat, he couldn't win. If only Mello could surprise this guy, then he could give him a run for his money. "Drop your gun." Mello didn't answer, or move. "Fucking hell Blondie, drop that thing!" He had no choice but to drop it. The gun clanged to the floor. The man pushed the gun harder on Mello, instructing him to move away from the door. Grabbing both of his arms, the man forced them behind Mello's back. "Oww! Fuck you!" Mello growled, unhappy with himself and the situation.

The man roughly cuffed Mello's hands behind his back, taking a sick satisfaction in making the cuffs to tight. He then led Mello to the opening of the garage, making sure they were in full view of the door and nothing else. Instructing Mello to get on his knees, the man pulled what looked like a blindfold out of his pocket with his free hand. Dropping the gun, the man was quick to get a rough hand on Mello. Mello sat there, hoping the man would be careless and get his fingers to close to his mouth. Luck however was not on his side. With the blindfold in place the man stood up straight, a hand firmly in Mello's hair. "Now we wait Blondie."

888

Matt moved along the wall, he could hear exactly were the others were, by the sound of it there were only two more in the house. He had set up this house to give off intruders right away. He had been to content, calm from the night before. He hadn't expected this; he had been too lenient with his awareness. It would cost him his life if he didn't remedy the fact quickly. He hid in a dark portion of the second bedroom as the other two walked into the hallway. He knew what they had been doing; the house would burst into flames probably in less then an hour. Matt aimed the gun at one of the men's' heads, he had a silencer on. The man's head was torn in half as the bullet ripped through his temple. His partner turned his gun toward the door and unloaded a full cache into the door.

Matt had already escaped into an air vent by the time the assassin had unloaded his gun into the door. The only things the bullets hit were his PS2 and flat screen. Matt peered down at the elder slightly balding man from the air vent right above his head. He stuck his gun through the slits and aimed a bullet into the top of the man's head, instantly killing him. Matt dropped back into the room he had been in previously. He leaned against the wall and took deep breaths. The pain in his shoulder was getting worse as was the pain in his back. Matt left the wall, walking over to a desk in the room; he pulled out a needle and a vile of clear liquid. He filled the syringe and took a deep breath while tightening a quickly made tourniquet on his arm. He stuck the needle into a vain and injected himself with the clear liquid. The pain vanished nearly immediately. Matt pulled out the other bottles and a few other needles from the drawer, placing them into a bag and slipped them into his pocket.

The red head left the room keeping his gun close and checking every corner as he headed toward the garage, he knew he couldn't stay in the house; he didn't have enough time to disarm the bomb.

Matt reached the first floor; he was feeling almost confident that there was no one else inside. He looked around the first floor. Grabbing a jacket, not wanting to ride any of his bikes without something covering his chest and arms. He had both guns on them still, both re-loaded. He was expecting a fight still. He made his way to the garage door, and froze when he saw it open. He could see Mello from his position, he had been captured. He leaned against the wall. _'What do I do?' _

The man restocked his gun, realigning it at Mello's temple. "Come on out here Matt, and let's have a little chitchat." Mello looked up, not able to see but still pointing his head in the direction he thought was the door. "Matt!" Mello yelled, trying to tell him to stay put. Mello growled deep in his chest, still unhappy about everything. The man struck Mello violently over his head with the gun. "Good god, shut up!"

Matt winced. He heard the order in Mello's voice. _"Stay put." _He had heard it and yet he wouldn't obey. He wasn't going to get Mello killed for his sake. He walked toward the door, then down the stairs. He stood on the last step, staring at the man. His face was blank, unreadable. He seemed calm, while in reality he was nervous as hell. His heart was hammering at one-hundred beats per second. He felt as if he could have a heart attack at any second. "What do you want from me, Sean?" His voice was oddly hollow in the calm.

Sean smiled an evil smile, enjoying the fact that he had the upper hand. "Don't sound so upset Matt; you knew I'd find you eventually."

Yes, he had known that this man would show up at his door sooner or later. He had been cruel in his earlier killings before meeting Mello in the real world. There were many who held a grudge against him; however, many of those people were now dead, killed by Kira, ironically enough. Criminals, unfortunately it seemed that Kira's judgment had missed this man. Sean, his old partner.

Sean tightened his grip on Mello's hair, yanking his head up. "I want to see all of your guns. Take them all off." Sean waited behind Mello, using him as a shield. "He's very pretty Matt." Sean said referring to Mello in a sickeningly affectionate voice. "Almost as pretty as Carla was. Looks a lot like her before you killed her. Pretty and fragile. His head might blow in the same way hers did, bloody and messy." Sean looked back at Matt, smiling.

Matt's heart stopped. His calm façade ripped away. His hand shook as he removed both of his guns from the places that they were hidden on his body. His past was catching up to him to fast. He placed his guns on the floor and kicked them away from him, so they were closer to Sean. He had to come up with a plan fast. He had no idea that this was the person that had been tracking him the last few days, if he had known he would have never come here. Sean knew this place almost as well as he did...it was Carla's house after all. "Leave him out of this Sean, he's got nothing to do with our problem, he wasn't even privy to what it felt like to kill a person yet when this started." He had never before spoken about Mello in such away, like he was a kid with a gun and a short temper and not the cruel calculating man, that the red head grown to love.

Sean laughed, "On the contrary Matt, I think he has everything to do with this." Sean turned his tough grip on Mello's hair to a soft stroke, almost petting the boy. A soft smile crept on to his face, as if remembering something special. The smile was gone just as fast as it came, turning to an icy glare. "I want to hurt you Matt, beyond repair. I'm going to take your most important thing away." Sean laughed. "I'm going to hurt him." Sean's fingers stroked Mello's face. "I'm going to hurt him so bad you'll wish it was you, just so that you won't have to go through the shame of meeting him in hell and having to apologize for the horrible way he died."

_'No!' _The anguished scream nearly tore from Matt's throat. His brain clicked off rational thinking. He only had his resolve to keep himself from attacking the man. He needed to keep his brain and body from making irrational decisions. This was his punishment...but Mello didn't deserve it. Still Matt's pride would not let him beg and he knew that Mello would think him weak, if he was unable to think his way out of this problem. _'It would be so much easier if I didn't love you...'_ He couldn't keep the thought out of his head. He almost let the idea fuel a plan, but he knew he could never go through with it. Suddenly an even more ludicrous plan came into his head. He pulled out his cell phone. "One call, Sean...you'll be dead before you could even lift a finger to hurt him." He just hoped that the fear that criminals had of Kira was strong enough to freeze him for a long enough time.

Sean giggled, sounding more like a high pitched choking sound. "Oh? Is that so Matt?" Sean seemed to think this over, petting Mello who was growing impatient. Every once in awhile Mello would shift, being uncomfortable on his knees. Finally the man looked up, serious. "I don't think you have a connection like that Matt. Can you really call upon the god Kira?" The high pitched giggle ripped through Sean's thought again, throwing his head back.

Matt gave an easy smirk. "I can...one click, you're dead. I don't even need to talk; you'll be dead once I push send." He was glad that Sean assumed it was Kira he was talking about. The man had no idea was he really was planning. He had to admit, Kira could be helpful when he wanted to be. The red head knew who Kira was and he did have his cell number, but there was no guarantee that Light Yagami would help him out of this situation, of course Matt didn't really need Kira's help. Or so he hoped.

Sean frowned, thinking again. He had taken a liking to touching Mello, and the blonde man was growing restless over it. He could hear everything fine, but he could not place where Matt was exactly. Sean's hands were warm, but felt rough as if coalesced. Mello detested the taste it put in his mouth. Finally Sean stopped moving his hands, looking Matt dead in the eye. "If I'm going to die, you're going to sit here as I take your precious little lover with me." Sean cocked the gun, realigning it to Mello's temple, sure to be a fatal shot.

Matt stared back cold sober, all emotion gone from his face. "Kira can manipulate death, did you know. You won't be able to hurt him." Matt's eyes had started to look over Sean's left shoulder, in reality he was watching something align for the shot he needed, but he kept his gaze looking unfocused, for the sake of the act. This plan was dangerous, but he just needed less then a minute more. He would have prayed, if he believed in God.

Sean noticed Matt looking away from him. He was growing angry at Matt's persistent lie. Or was it a lie? Maybe the man did know Kira. Sean thought this unlikely. Matt looked over his shoulder again, not keeping eye contact. "There's no body here but you and me anymore." Sean wanted no more then to hear Matt scream and beg for him not to kill the blonde kid. He wanted to cause as much pain as possible. Noticing Matt look behind him again, Sean's curiosity got the better of him as he turned only slightly to see what Matt was looking at.

Matt clicked send on his phone and suddenly the gun was shot out of Sean's hand, followed by six rounds hitting him in the back. If he wasn't dead yet, he was relatively harmless. "You shouldn't assume..." Matt walked off the last step and over to the man lying on the ground he picked up a gun and pushed it into Sean's temple. "I said you would be dead before you could hurt him."

Mello flinched, ducking his head down at the sound of gun shots. He couldn't hide the fact that he was trembling slightly, from fear or adrenaline he wasn't sure. Sean's eyes watched Matt, slowly become more and more dull. His mouth opened and closed slightly, as if trying to say something before he become completely still.

Matt stood straight. Sighing, he looked over at Mello. He walked over to the blonde and unblindfolded him. "Are you hurt?" His face and voice were unreadable. It was hard to tell if he was worried or upset, he still sounded hollowly calm.

Mello looked up at Matt, wincing from the sudden light. "I'm fine." He shifted, trying to get off of his knees. His hands were still tied. "Undo these." He looked at Matt, just wanting to be in control of himself again. He wouldn't be able to get up unless his cuffs were undone, or Matt practically picked him up.

Matt gave a slight nod and moved over to Sean's dead body. He searched the pockets of the corpse and soon found the keys. He unlocked the cuffs. He looked at Mello seriously. "We have to leave, there's a bomb planted in the attic, I won't have time to disarm it so we need to leave now." The thing was where would they go? Matt wasn't keen on going to another one of his hide outs, knowing that there would be more people trying to kill him there.

Mello rubbed his wrists, standing up. A bomb? Had Mello knew that this house would have been such a problem; we would have suggested another place. "I have a place outside the city to the south. It's about three hours away." Mello walked over and kissed Matt lightly. He knew he had been through a lot, and the look on his face showed it. "Do you have a car?"

Matt gave an absent nod. He walked over to the other side of the garage that was currently dark, he flipped on the lights and there was a covered car. Matt pulled the cover off to reveal a dark red Thunderbird convert. The top was currently up and it had been modified a bit. That was easy to tell. He looked at Mello, "You wanna drive?"

Mello nodded, walking over to the car. It was a nice car, Mello had to admit. Getting into the drivers seat, he found the keys in the ignition. It started clean, and seemed to run just as nice. Matt pushed a button to open the door. As soon as it was open, Mello pulled out, leaving the house behind as he sped down the road. The drive would be long, and the house was in a secluded part of an extremely small town.

Matt glanced at his home and hide out. It would be destroyed in a few moments. He could help but feel regret that things had turned out this way. Mello had almost died because of a past discretion of his. He should have never let Sean live. He was too merciful, or maybe not merciful enough, hadn't the man begged for death after he had killed Carla? Matt shook his head; he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to remember what he was before...cold hearted, cruel. Back then not even a Shinigami would want him for company, let alone a complex person like Mello. Still the red head hadn't changed until he had met Mello again after the blonde had left the Orphanage. Matt hadn't lived at the whammy house long, he left after only one year, but he remembered Mello from that time, for some reason the blonde's image and personality had stuck with him. At the time when they had met again years later, Matt had already killed over sixty people and had been committing the oldest sins in the newest ways. Matt glanced over at Mello, wondering if the blonde remembered what had happened when they had first met, they had nearly killed each other.

He contemplated asking Mello for a moment. Would the blonde remember? Would he even want to, they were friends and lovers now. Everything had changed so much since then. For the first year that Matt had worked for Mello, he had hated the blonde chocoholic. Everything about him got on his nerves, the way he dictated every aspect of his life. It was annoying, but he suddenly was used to it and wasn't annoyed by it in the second year. He couldn't figure out what had changed him. What happened? He looked at Mello. "Do you remember how we met?"

Mello glanced over at Matt as he drove out of town, away from the busy streets. "Do I remember how we met?" Mello contemplated this for a short while. Of course he remembered. The incident had left an impression on him. In the end both had drawn their guns at the same time, ready to kill the other. The discussion after the stalemate had caused them to partner up. "I don't remember." Mello made no motion that he was lying, looking straight ahead.

Matt sighed and looked out the window, how could Mello not remember? _His last confrontation had brought him here, this abandoned warehouse. It was falling apart; most of the windows were shattered or had large holes in them. Of course it had to be raining when he was stuck in a place like this. Matt sighed and tended the wound that he had received, he heard the door open. He looked up automatically pulling out his gun. He slowly lowered it when he saw who it was who entered the warehouse. A young blonde kid, he couldn't be more then fifteen. Matt lifted an eyebrow staring at him. He looked familiar some how.   
_  
_The blonde turned and spotted Matt. He wore a look of disgust. "Good job getting yourself injured. That was a stupid move that you pulled at the end." Matt glared at the kid. "What do you know?" Mello gave a sneer then smirked cocking his head oddly. "I know more then you obviously, I don't have to explain anything to someone who lacks intellect."_

Matt's head snapped up. He recognized this kid now, from so many years ago. He had lived at the whammy house with the other world's smartest orphans. Matt had spent last then a year there. He stood, noting that he was quite a bit taller then Mello, something that would change in the following years. "Pick that line up from Nate, Michael?"

Mello glared at the red head that stood before him. How could he possibly know those names? He had been too careful for anyone to know his name and he knew that Near was the same. Roger didn't even know his real name. He had been Mello for as long as he could remember, and yet this stranger new both his and Near's name. He could have thought Kira, except for the fact that Near was no where near them. Then something in his brain clicked. "Matt..."

The red head smirked. So he did remember him. He wasn't surprised to see a gun pointed at his head. They had never been exactly friends and Mello couldn't have anyone know his real name that could possibly use it against him. "I don't think you could do it." Mello sneered, "Really?" He unloaded on bullet into Matt's arm, causing the boy to drop to his knees. "Think I will now?" 

_Matt pulled out his gun and aimed it at Mello's head. "Shall we learn who's quicker to the trigger, of course I've been doing this a lot longer then you have so I will probably win. Still, you could try." _

Mello rolled his eyes. "Obviously it's ludicrous to try..." After that they had spent time talking about the past, each pointing the other's head. In the end Matt lowered his gun first, thinking that Mello would not shoot him. He was right, in a sense. For when he lowered his gun, Mello simply said, "Bang." and Matt knew that if the blonde had wanted him dead, he would have been. 

Matt looked at Mello. "So you really don't remember?" He looked away and then looked back at Mello, "When did we stop fighting?" Mello had to remember that, but how could Matt expect him too, when the red head didn't know himself.

Mello didn't say anything, reliving the moment as Matt was. Driving farther out, cars and houses had all but disappeared on the winding street. "We stopped fighting when you started listening." Mello said flatly. His heart told him different. _'We stopped fighting when we fell in love with one another.' _Mello almost gagged at his own thoughts. What a useless thing to think. Banishing the thought from his mind, Mello shifted in his seat.

_'But I'm still not really listening...'_ Matt noticed Mello shift in his seat. He sighed again; he was slowly becoming more depressed. "How far?" He needed ask a full question, Mello knew what he was talking about.

"Fucking hell Matt, if you're gonna ask questions the whole way down you can sit in the god damn trunk." Mello gripped the wheel angrily, feeling more like himself then he had in awhile. It had almost been 10 hours sense his last bar of chocolate, and his sugar levels were going down. He was tempted to stop at a gas station along the way and get some, but thought it better to not stop if possible.

Matt jumped slightly. He hadn't expected such harsh words from Mello so quickly. He bit back the retort that he had only asked three questions and that Mello was overreacting. He looked out the window and lapsed into silence. He wouldn't even look at Mello now. This day was just getting worse.

Mello drove on in silence for what seemed like hours. In reality it may have only been one hour, but that particular hour stretched for an eternity. As they got farther out, the sun was getting high in the sky and the weather was starting to warm. Mello pushed the sleeves of his shirt up, trying to cool himself off. Warm weather always made Mello tired. Warm things in general just did that to him. Pulling over to the side of the abandoned road, Mello put the car in park and opened the door. "I'm tired, you drive."

Matt looked up at Mello. "Right..." He got out of the car and started to walk around the front to get into the driver's side. He paused for a moment, and then walked down the road, past the car. He started to walk back toward the city.

Mello walked around to the passenger side, stopping when he noticed Matt. "Where the hell do you think your going?" It was hot out, but what the hell was wrong with Matt? Mello just stood there, watching him walk away.

Matt paused a little ways from the car and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one and took a slow drag on it. He slowly let the smoke stream out of his mouth and lungs. He finally felt calm. He took a deep breath and took another drag on his cigarette. He glanced back at Mello, he figured the blonde was pissed, but he had been too tense, he was also slightly annoyed with Mello. Hadn't he just risked his life for the man? He had confessed his love and the blonde was already back to normal. He sighed and took another drag on his cigarette.

Mello watched Matt smoke his cigarette. _'Fine.' _he thought. _'Smoke that disgusting thing. Just get your ass back here.'_ He sat down in the car, out of the sun. Pulling the sleeves of his shirt up as far as they would go, Mello examined the bandage on his upper arm. A strange yellow color had already seeped through the white bandage, stressing how much it needed to be changed. The burns still hurt, but slowly around the edges it was beginning to itch. Mello couldn't tell what he hated more, the burn itself, or the constant itching he would feel for the next week.

Matt dropped the cigarette on the ground and put it out with his heal. He walked back to the car and got in the behind the wheel. He waited a moment for Mello to get situated then drove off. He stared straight ahead at the road. He didn't speak to Mello, even though he had no idea where they were going. It was obvious something was bothering him.

Mello pulled his sleeve back down and folded his arms. Matt had no idea where they were going, Mello knew that much. Whatever. It was at least another 70 miles on this road alone. Mello leaned back making himself comfortable. Sleep would be easy if he tried, yet something seemed wrong. What was Matt so upset about? "What?" Mello questioned Matt's sudden quietness and attitude.

Matt didn't respond right away. "Maybe it just sunk in that I was nearly killed." This was the only statement he gave before he relapsed into silence. In his head he finished the sentence, '_...trying to protect you...yet you don't seem to fucking care about that, or anything else...' _He knew that he would eventually die for Mello, but currently he didn't think that he wanted to make that sacrifice. Thinking about how it used to be brought back old fights, and he could now remember the things that love had removed from his sight and mind.

Mello didn't say anything, keeping his arms crossed. Why was Matt sulking? Death was a constant presents in the line of work they had. A day spent not in danger wasn't a real day at all. It was nothing but false hopes to think that they weren't in a constant state of danger. _'But I'm happy you came and saved me.' _Mello chewed angrily on his lower lip, turning and looking out the window.

Matt glanced at Mello; he turned his attention back to the road, letting the silence settle over them both, and despite how uncomfortable it was. A small nagging voice in the back of his head told him that he didn't know where the hell he was going. He would have to break the silence eventually to find out where he needed to go. He sighed_. 'This is stupid...we're acting like five year olds...'_

Mello was content to let the silence go one for awhile. If Matt wanted to be like this, fine let them not talk the whole way. The road was starting to narrow down, and Mello noticed they would be getting to the turn soon. He couldn't really remember if the road kept going, or it stopped and you had to fallow a dirt road for some time. Whatever. They would know soon enough.

As the car moved farther on. The road began to disintegrate. The pavement became cracked, then into chunks. Finally it turned to gravel, then just large rocks. About 40 feet ahead of them a sign and barricades was posted says _'End of Road.'_ Mello stretched his arms out. "You missed the last turn about fifteen minutes ago." He said casually.

The car screeched to a stop. Matt sat still staring at the road ahead of him. He didn't say anything for a while. He looked at Mello, "And why didn't you fucking tell me that?" He sounded pissed. "You're the one that wanted me to drive, so wouldn't that usually mean that you would give that person directions, or did you just assume I knew where we were going. Or did you know that I didn't have a clue where I was or where I was heading and you thought it would be funny to have me look like an ass." He was really blowing this out of proportion, but there was just something that was pissing him off and Mello had something to do with it.

"You were to busy pouting for me to tell you." Mello stated simply. He was getting tired. The sun seemed to be beating down on them again, and Mello was having a hard time focusing. Why were these clothes so damn hot?! Mello pushed the sleeves back up, trying to cool himself off. Matt was just throwing a hissy fit for no reason. Maybe he was hot too. That could be why he was so uptight.

"You know what..." Matt put the car in park and turned it off. He got out. "Just forget it...maybe I should have just let him blow your head off." He walked away from the car slamming the door shut. He continued walking down the road, heading toward the city, he knew how far away it was but he didn't care. For some reason Mello was infuriating him right now. It wasn't just one thing; it was a bunch of little things. What had he expected? Had he wanted Mello to thank him multiple times for saving his life? For risking his own life? That wasn't Mello, Matt knew that...and yet he was still pissed. There had to be another reason...maybe it was regret.

Mello didn't look at Matt getting out of the car. He also didn't look as Matt began to walk away for the second time. _'...should have let him...' _Mello clenched his fists. _'Just forget it...'_ His shoulders slumped. What had Matt just said? _'...blow your head off.' _Mello was stunned by the statement. "He...should have let him?" Saying it out load just made it hurt more. Mello felt like kicking in the windshield of the car. He felt like screaming at Matt, maybe giving him a good punch in the face. Before he knew what was happening, Mello noticed wet stains on his gloves. He looked up to see if the roof was leaking, but found nothing. He felt another one running down his face and realized they were coming from him. He was crying. Angrily, Mello whipped them away, cursing himself, Matt, and the world. Angrily Mello opened the passenger door, slammed it, and moved over to the driver's seat. Turning the car on, he threw it into reverse, spun it around, and started heading down the road. Passing Matt, Mello watching him in the rearview mirror. Fine! Matt could walk home. If he was so worthless, then why stay? Mello watched him grow smaller and smaller in the mirror. Suddenly Mello slammed the breaks on. More tears forced their way through, as Mello decided to curse everything for not being able to leave Matt like that.

_'Maybe it just sunk in that I was nearly killed...' 'Obviously it's ludicrous to try...' 'He's almost as pretty as she was...his head might even explode the same way...' 'You missed the turn fifteen minutes ago...' '...would it be funny to have me look like an ass...' 'Or what Matt?' '...or I could keep you warm.' 'They're only after me...' 'Matt...' 'Don't hate me...' _Matt felt like screaming, there were too many thoughts running through his head. He didn't know what to do. He heard the car's engine rev up. He looked up from the road and saw Mello speed past him in his car. The red head stopped walking. He watched Mello drive away. He felt as if his heart was being ripped out. What the hell was wrong with him! What did he want from the blonde? Something that he knew that he could never have... He saw the car skid to a stop. Mello must have slammed on the breaks, Matt could tell by the dust. Matt felt his heart beat painfully in his chest. _"What the hell are you doing? Don't just stand there, run to him, beg for fucking forgiveness if you need to!" _screamed his brain. Matt hesitated for a second then ran toward the car. He skidded to at stop, grabbing the door to stop himself. He stood there, staring at Mello through the open window. "I love you..."

Mello turned, looking up at Matt in the bright sun. A fresh set of tears ran down his face. _'How weak am I?' _Mello couldn't find it in himself to wipe these away like all the others. "I love you too." He said simply. Mello had always been an angry impulsive person, but never had he thought that it would hurt those around him. His anger was always present, and people around him had always just learned to deal with it.

Matt's heart throbbed painfully when he saw that Mello was crying. Matt opened the passenger side door and got in the car. He leaned over at wiped away Mello's tears. "I'm sorry..." As much as he hated it when Mello was bipolar and became angry at little things without warning. He knew that he hated it when Mello cried more. He never wanted to see that again. He kissed Mello softly on the lips; he knew that he couldn't ask Mello to change. Though he felt better knowing that Mello had said it once, if he would never say it again.

Mello felt like a small child being comforted. Deciding to just ignore the feelings turning inside of him, Mello let Matt wipe away what was left of the tears. "Yeah...me too." Leaning over, they kissed for a short while, finding comfort in the fact that they weren't yelling at one another anymore. When Mello pulled away, he put the car back in drive, and continued down the road. Slowly, he moved his hand to hold Matt's. Uncharacteristically, Mello blushed lightly, staring at the road.

Matt gave Mello's hand a little playful squeeze. He leaned against his seat closing his eyes. He felt lighter then he had in the past few weeks. It was odd. They drove in silence for a while. Soon Matt had fallen asleep half-leaning on Mello, his hand still holding onto Mello's.


	5. Chapter 5

Manga: Death Note

Rating: PG-13 to M

Warnings: OOCness, Yaoi, Use of drugs, language, violence, adult situations

Pairing: MelloXMatt

Mello pulled up in front of the house. Matt had slept through most of the ride there, only waking up for a moment or two to look around. Mello pulled up to a large gated entrance. Pulling close enough a metal stand, Mello reached out (With some difficulty, as he was still trying not to wake Matt up and holding his hand) and punched in the security code. The gates opened slowly. The driveway was long, filled with traditional gardens, a small river and bridge, and what looked like a small, run down, traditional house. Mello parked the near the front. Gently, he pulled his hand from Matt's and nudged him. "Matt..." He said quietly. "We're here."

Matt woke up slowly, he groggily looked around. "Where?" He sat up a bit, having slumped in his seat when he fell asleep. He looked at Mello. "Is this yours?" He sounded in awe. He never seen this much land, while the house itself wasn't all that impressive, the land surrounding it was.

Mello looked at the house, then at the gardens. "Watari said it was mine." Mello looked slightly sad. "They died before I could really remember living here." Mello didn't like speaking of the subject. He had very little memories of this place, only being told about it and coming to see it for the first time when he turned eight. "Its part of the family heirloom I guess. So it's all mine." Mello looked at Matt.

Matt bit his lip, "Oh..." He hadn't meant to dig up bad memories. He was the same when it came to his parents. He didn't like to think about it, he didn't like feeling alone, he never had and he never would. He wasn't really a loner, even though in his profession it was a good idea to be one, but he couldn't do it.

Mello sighed, getting out of the car. He waited for Matt to get out before wondering over to the front door. The big wooden doors had a thick lock, keeping them shut. Mello bent over, spinning the dial. After a series of spins, the lock clicked open heavily. Mello pulled the chain off the door and opened it. Light flooded the dusty receiving area. A pair of old shoes still waited on the dust covered floor mats. "It could use some cleaning." Mello walked farther in, not bothering to take his shoes off. Found an old lantern, Mello pulled it off its hook. "Light?" He asked questionably, holding a hand out to Matt, knowing he was a smoker.

Matt smiled. "No, I'm Matt..." He couldn't resist joking with Mello a little. He pulled out his lighter and lit the lantern. Hopefully Mello wouldn't bash him over the head with the now lit lantern for the remark.

Mello grunted, not laughing at the bad joke, yet smiling slightly. "Oh, good one." He said sarcastically. Quickly, Mello cursed himself. Hadn't remarks like this gotten him in trouble, not even a few hours ago? Mello walked into the house, finding a communal sitting room. Continuing down the hall, he found one of the old bedrooms. Walking in, they found it to be considerably less dirty. This room seemed almost untouched. Mello wondered if this had ever been his room. Setting the lantern down, Mello walked over and opened one of the sliding windows to let more light in. An old futon still lay on the floor, ready for a person to sleep in.

Matt gave him a slight smile. Following Mello down the hall he looked around the house. 'You could film a horror movie in here...' he thought. He paused, 'I shouldn't have thought that...' He might have acted like a tough guy, but really, when it came to horror movies he was a complete wimp. He'd watch them, but afterwards wouldn't sleep for weeks. No one noticed because he would be playing video games all night so they just thought it was because of that. He looked around the room that Mello brought them into, this one was less dusty and less creepy then the rest of the house. Still Matt was on high alert for ghosts and such. "You haven't been here in a long time have you?" It was hard to keep his voice steady.

Mello leaned against the wall, his back to the light. "It's been a few years...yeah." Eight to be exact. He didn't like this house. Not at all. The sun was starting to set over the tall walls incasing the gardens. They had to rely more on the lantern as the sun went down. "Should...we find you a room?" Mello thought about where the other sleeping rooms were. "It's on the other side of the house. Or you could just stay here; it should be big enough for both of us." Mello had a hint of sadness in his voice, not wanting Matt to leave.

Matt looked at Mello. He didn't want to leave the blonde, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep in this house and he didn't want Mello to loose out. "I dunno if you want me too...I don't plan to sleep. I need to make sure that I've covered my tracks right so no one else comes after me for a while. We do want to continue to work on the Kira case." It would be difficult if assassins kept showing up on their doorstep. Of course that wasn't really the reason why he was staying awake, but it would probably convince Mello. However, he didn't want to leave the blonde's side for a second. He would probably end up sitting outside the door of Mello's room, one hand on his gun the other on his DS.

Mello frowned, knowing Matt still needed sleep, even if it wasn't as much as him. Leaving the lantern in the room, Mello walked to the door. "Do what you like then." He said, walking into the dark hallway. Only a few doors down and around the corner, was a large bath. Mello remembered this room the most. Walking in blindly, he searched around for the bucket of matches. Finding them, he struck one and held it up. There was an old bath, under it a fire to keep it warm. Throwing the match into the fire pit, Mello found some old wood to throw on. Soon the fire lit the whole room. He then went over to a pump just over the bath. Giving it a few good pumps, slowly water started to come out. 'Good,' Mello thought to himself. 'The old bath still works.' Without having to pump, the water continued to flow out in a steady stream.

Matt gave a slight sigh. He leaned against the wall. He was unsure of what to do. Suddenly his cell phone rang. He looked down at it. Who would call him other then Mello? He picked up his cell phone and looked at it; it was one of his bikes. It was an automatic dialing to inform him that that particular bike had either been destroyed or sustained extensive damage. He frowned. There had been a bomb then, he hadn't expected to go off this late though. He could have stayed and disarmed it. He sighed again. "Oh, well." He hit silence and put his cell back in his pocket and sat down on the ground pulling out his DS.

Once the bath was filled, the room became warm and comforting. Mello smiled inwardly at his work. The deep bath looked more like a pool, and the fire underneath had grown larger. The technology may be old, but the style was still good. Watari had thought him to use this the last time they had stayed here. Mello pealed off Matt's shirt that he had lent him. Next came the bandages that had been turning a disgusting yellow over the past day. The burns on his arm and face would eventually heal, but still looked just as disgusting as before. Mello needed new bandages. Walking out of the bath, Mello wondered back over to the bedroom. "Do you have any extra bandages in the car?" Mello feebly touched the now infected wound.

Matt looked up at Mello. He could tell right away that his wounds had become infected. 'That's not good...' He stood. "Yeah. I'll go get them okay?" He walked out of the room and back the way they had come. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't get lost, but there was always a chance. "I'll be back in a sec!" he called over his shoulder to the blonde before disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.

Mello shrugged and wondered back into the bath. Matt was smart and would find his way there when he found that Mello was no longer in the bedroom. Mello had been cold walking the hallways, but found it had grown much warmer in the bath. Walking over to the bath, Mello tenderly fished out some water with his hand and poured it over the burns on his arm. Hissing slightly from the temperature of the water, and the feeling of something touching the burn, Mello let the water run down his arm.

Matt reached the car a few minutes later. He popped the hood and pulled out the first aid kit. Most would think that he was weird, but he had been in the business long enough that it would come in handy. He shut the trunk and brought it back into the house. He wandered around the house for about ten minutes until he finally found the room that he had left Mello in. He looked around and didn't see him. He sighed. 'Where'd he go?' He looked down the hallway and saw another flickering light. He headed toward it.

Mello tested the temperature of the water in the bath with his hand. For most people, the water would be to hot, but for Mello, hot water had always been better. Fishing more water out, Mello tried his best to clean the infection out with one hand. Water was dripping down his chest as Mello worked. Deciding it wasn't worth it, Mello began to peal and pick at the sticky flesh.

Matt reached the room. He saw Mello and mentally gagged. He winced; the blonde must have been in a lot of pain. He walked over to him. "Stop...you're going to make it worse." He took Mello's arm in his hands gently. He looked over the infected cut then opened the first aid kit. He pulled out a bottle of bluish liquid and a clean cloth. He poured some of the liquid onto the cloth. "This'll hurt a lot." He dabbed the cloth on the infected areas of Mello's cut.

"AHH!" Mello ripped his arm out of Matt's grasp. Instinctively he went to grip his arm, only hurting himself further by touching the infection. He backed away from Matt, looking at the wash cloth. "Ahh...Oww...What the fuck is that?!" Mello couldn't help but pick at a small piece of stray flesh coming off his arm.

"Medicine. It'll help the healing process and it'll kill the infection, if you can stand the stinging." He walked closer to Mello again. "I'm almost done, please let me finish? If we don't do this right you could potentially loose your arm." Okay, so now he was stretching the truth, but he doubted that he could get Mello to agree otherwise. And if his arm really did get worse there was a slight possibility of nerve damage and amputation, but it would have to get really bad, a hell of a lot worse then it was now.

Mello eyed Matt skeptically as he came closer again. His arm? If what Matt was saying was true, then he was right and Mello would have to bear with the stinging. This time Mello let Matt take his arm, standing close to the man and burying his face in the crook of Matt's neck. Mello clenched his fist, not happy about having to let Matt do this.

Matt was glad that Mello was going to allow him to treat his wounds. The man was proud, but hated pain of any sort. It was probably why he kept people at bay. So he couldn't get hurt mentally as much as he got hurt physically. Matt continued to dab the blue liquid on Mello's arm. He knew from experience how much it hurt, but he also knew how much it helped in the long run. When he was done he wrapped Mello's arm in tight bandages with anti-bacterial stuff on them. "We'll change these in the morning." He glanced at the bath, "Don't get them wet..."

Mello was happy that it was over. He could feel the slight tingle of the antibiotics on the bandages. "I didn't plan to; it just makes the house warmer when the bath is on all the time. The nights get really cold here, even in the summer." Mello flexed his arm, testing and observing the bandages. "I'm going to sleep." He stated simply, beginning to walk out of the bath. "Are you really not sleeping?" He asked quietly, looking back.

"Not by myself..." It slipped out before Matt could stop himself. His face went red. 'Dammnit...' How was he supposed to explain that one? He didn't want to tell Mello that the house was giving him the creeps and he couldn't sleep because of that. It would make him look like a weakling. Mello would say he was being stupid. While that might be true, it didn't mean that he could sleep by himself either way.

"Well you're not getting any from me, I drove while you got to sleep, remember?" Mello smirked at Matt. The man was to easily fluster. Matt must be scared of the dark or something. There was no logical explanation for Matt to be so clingy to wherever he was. Maybe he just didn't know his way around? Whatever the reason, Mello shook it off. "Your welcome to stay in the room, just don't make a lot of noise."

"Right..." murmured Matt. He walked over to Mello and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't screw with the bandages, ok?" He walked out of the bath and down the hall back to the room. He grabbed his DS and disappeared into the dark again. He would come out when Mello went to bed and take his place across from the door. To watch until morning.

"No guarantees," said Mello to himself, seeing as Matt had walked away. Whatever, the man could take care of himself. Wondering back over to the bedroom, Mello stood in the door way. A small part of him wanted to know desperately whose room this had been back when he had a life and a family. Had this been his mother's room? It somehow had a warm and welcoming feel even after the years of neglect. He moved into the room, sliding the paper door closed. Farther in the room was a small closet, in which Mello found some more blankets. Laying them over the futon, Mello blew out the lantern and crawled into the bed.

Matt watched the door slide shut and the lantern go out. He moved back in front of the door. He leaned against the wall across from it. Sliding down to the floor he stared at the door. He gave a slight sigh and leaned his head back against the wall. "For I can't help...falling in love with you..." He sang softly, his voice echoing oddly through the silence. He closed his eyes. 'We should be safe here...'


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Mello woke with a shout. He sat straight up in bed, throwing the covers off of him. Dreams had plagued him that night. Mello wrapped his arms around himself protectively. Dreams were only dreams, not reality. He continued that mantra as he pushed himself up on shaking legs. He still had no shirt, but also found the absence of pants. At one point he must have decided that jeans were not the best thing to sleep in and removed them. Digging through the blankets, Mello searched for the lost article of clothing. After a few seconds of looking, Mello decided it wasn't worth it. Going over to the closet where he had found the blankets, Mello searched for something to wear. The closet had only odds and ends things, but in the very back was a light colored garment. He pulled it out and shook it off. A Kimono? Mello couldn't tell as he attempted to slide it on. If he wrapped it around himself, it covered him nicely and almost touched the floor.

Matt was still sitting against the wall. His eyes were closed and his shoulders slumped. It looked like he was sleeping and he was actually sleeping. Though sleep had snuck up on him and bashed him over the head with a frying pan, for he had not planned to fall asleep. His still loaded gun hung limply from his hand. He was sleeping in a rather uncomfortable and oddly cramped position. His one leg was bent at the knee and held up his right arm, in his right hand was his gun. His other leg was stretched out on the floor and his left arm dangled uselessly at his side. He looked like he would fall over any second.

The garment hung loosely from Mello's shoulders, partly exposing the bandages that still covered his arm. Satisfied that he had found something, Mello walked over to the door and opened it. The hall was still dark seeing as the sun had not come up yet. Mello looked down the hall, wondering where Matt had gone too. He was sure that at one point in the night Matt would have joined him in the bed. Looking the other way, Mello almost tripped over the man sitting on the floor. His gun was grasped limply as he sat in an oddly propped up manner. Mello smirked, bending over and removing the gun from Matt's hand. Intending to wake the man, Mello threw a leg over Matt's hips, straddling him closely and holding the gun to Matt's head.

The sudden weight on his body caused Matt's brain to click on. He stirred a bit, waking up not as quickly as maybe as he should have with a gun pointed to his temple. He opened his eyes and blinked. Giving a slight jump to Mello being so close. He stared at the blonde. He could feel the gun pressed against his temple, it was his gun. The realization that he had fallen asleep sank in, but he didn't think about it too much, trying to figure out why Mello was straddling him and pressing a gun to his head. "Mello?"

"If you were going to fall asleep, you might as well have come in to where you could had lied down." Mello spoke quietly, still in Matt's lap. "And be careful, the next time you decide to leave a loaded gun lying around, someone might get hurt." Mello made a mock 'bang' sound, imitating the jerk of a gun against Matt's head. Pulling it away, Mello blew out invisible smoke from the end and placed it back into Matt's hand.

Matt instinctually jerked away when Mello imitated the way the gun would recoil when fired. He watched Mello for a moment, grasping his gun in his hand. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. If I had planned to sleep I would have gone some where more comfortable, but since that was not my intent I did not complete that action." He was mimicking L on purpose, wondering if Mello would remember that time. The first time they had met L as the three eldest. Mello had asked that almost exact same question to the sugar high detective. He let the remark about the gun drop

Mello growled low in his throat. He had caught Matt's impression of L. He did not like thinking of the man. Standing, Mello straightened himself out and looked down at Matt. "It's late, go sleep in there if you can't stay awake." Mello reached into his clothes, picking and scratching at the bandages. "This thing is itchy." He stated simply, attempting to unravel it and starting to walk toward the bath house.

Matt remained sitting on the floor where he was. He had yet to really move at all. He knew that he had upset Mello again. He was apparently good at annoying the blonde. He tapped his gun on his head. _'Stupid, Matt, stupid.' _He looked at his gun, the safety was off. He made an odd face. That could have ended badly. He clicked the safety on and put it away. He stretched out his other led and shifted his back against the wall. He leaned his head back looking at the ceiling. He didn't want to sleep, but he didn't want to be awake either. It was odd.

He sighed and stood. Stretching his arms out over his head to get the kinks out of his back. He walked into the room were Mello had slept. He went and layed down on the futon and pulled the blankets over his head. He fell asleep almost instantly, surrounded by Mello's scent of chocolate and gun powder.

Mello walked all the way to the bath. Sliding the door open, he entered the warm room. Making sure to close it behind him so all the hot air stayed inside, Mello wondered over to the bath. The water had cooled slightly, but was still hot. Deciding he needed a bath, Mello shed the long garment. He stood trying to undo the bandages for some time, unable to figure out how Matt had tied it.

Getting irritated with his inability to get the bandage off, Mello ended up ripping it off. A small amount of blood dripped from his arm where he had applied to much pressure. Cussing loudly, Mello threw the bandage on the floor and climbed into the bath. The water was hot, and felt good to Mello until it touched the portion of his arm and shoulder with the burn. It only took a few minutes for him to adjust to the feel. Sighing gratefully, Mello closed his eyes, relaxing.

Matt awoke less then an hour later. He had ended up fighting with sleep for the last twenty minutes as odd dreams plagued his existence. He told himself that they were only dreams and not read too much into them. He sighed and got up. He was a lot more comfortable on the futon then against the wall, which made him start wondering just why he had chose to not share the bed with Mello. Shrugging off the thought he wandered out of the room and down the hall thinking he had an idea of where said blonde was. Sure enough he was right as he saw Mello lounging in the bath. "You're going to turn into a prune if you stay in there much longer."

Mello lifted his head at the sound of Matt's voice. He had been dozing, and lost track of time. "It would do you some good to take a bath." He said with a yawn. Mello lifted his arm out of the water to examine it. Still disgusting looking. Groaning slightly, he stood, deciding to get out.

Matt rolled his eyes. "What-ever you say, Mel." He wasn't a bath person, quick hot showers where more his thing. He went over the cabinet and pulled out the first Aid kit. He took out the bottle of blue medicine and gauze. They needed to rewrap Mello's arm. He looked at the blonde's arm. "The bath probably did it good, it might still look horrible but it's actually healing better then last time."

Mello growled at Matt, seeing him holding the bottle of blue liquid in his hands. "If it's doing better then we don't need that stuff anymore." Mello wrapped a hand protectively around his arm, careful not to actually touch the burn. He had an intense urge to pick at it, but did not want to do it while Matt was watching.

Matt glanced at Mello. "You're being childish. This'll be the last time, most likely." He turned to him. "So are you going to let me do it, or do I have to catch you and hold you down?" He couldn't understand someone who deals with death and the possibility of getting shot daily who also hates being in any kind of pain. Matt couldn't say that he enjoyed it, but he could definitely deal with it much better then Mello.

Mello stood in front of the bath, rooted to the spot. He glared at Matt, almost saying _'I'd like to see you try.' _This was ridiculous, why did they have to keep going through this? Never before had Mello ever treated a wound like this. Normally he would just let it go, and eventually it would go away. Though, Mello thought to himself, he had never had something this bad before.

Matt sighed. Mello could be so stubborn. He thought of ways to talk him into it. Your arm will get chopped off thing wouldn't work twice, it wouldn't get that bad if they left it completely alone now. Really it didn't need the medicine, just to be bandaged and cleaned a few more times before it went away, but Matt wanted to be sure and safe. And odd characteristic for an assassin. "Come on, Mel. Last time, promise."

Mello could see that Matt was rethinking putting the stuff on it. "No, Matt." Mello said, still not moving, and trying to see if he could talk his way out of it. "It doesn't need it." Mello have Matt another one of those 'Make me' looks.

Matt gave Mello a look. He shook his head. "You've never dealt with these kinds of cuts before. You've never fallen off a motorcycle before, so you have no idea how to treat a wound like this. Gun shots maybe, but not this. Just trust me for once, Mello?" He did his best to sound slightly annoyed and compassionate at the same time. He was trying hard to convince Mello into letting him do it.

Mello backed away slightly. He didn't want Matt to hurt him with the blue stuff again. He knew he was being childish, but something inside of him hated the antibiotics. "It'll heal." Mello said. He found it slightly strange that Matt was so calm, even with Mello standing naked in front of him.

Matt gave a slight growl and turned. "Fine...if you're arm stops working don't blame me." He started to walk out of the bathroom, then turned and nearly jumped on Mello. He pushed the blonde up against the bathtub. He gave him a little smirk. "I'm prepared to make you..." He bent Mello's uninjured arm behind his back.

Mello yelped as Matt came at him. "MATT! Get off!" He half yelled, half whimpered. He was getting angry, feeling Matt twist his arm behind his back. "I swear to god, Matt, let me go!"

Matt kissed Mello passionately hoping to distract him. He ran the cloth that had the blue liquid over Mello's hurt arm. He did it quickly but it was still effective. He broke the kiss and smiled. "All done." He stuck his tongue out at him for a second before holding out the bandages. "You wanna do it or should I?"

Mello was surprised as soon as Matt kissed him. The kiss was passionate, and it had drastically caught Mello off guard. Mello relaxed for a moment, but quickly went rigid as he felt Matt run the cloth over his arm and shoulder. Yelping slightly, Mello tried to pull away, but just as quickly it was over. He glared at Matt, making a face. "I..." Mello sighed, grumbling and holding his arm out to Matt.

Matt gave a little smile. He gently wrapped Mello's arm with the bandages. He worked quickly and quietly but made sure that the bandages were wrapped so Mello would have full use of the arm. When he was done, he kissed Mello on the cheek softly and left the bathroom.

Mello waited for Matt to leave before smiling and going to find some clothes. He remembered that the only thing that he had was the old kimono. Picking it up and slipping it on, Mello fallowed Matt out of the bathroom.

Matt sat on the floor of the bed room and pulled out his gun. He unloaded it and started to clean and check it. He looked up when Mello walked into the room. He raised an eyebrow, and then stood. "Be right back." He disappeared from the room and the hallways, heading to the car.

Mello shrugged it off and went to look out the window. The sun was starting to come up and Mello was relieved. He shivered a little. How long would they be able to stay in this house? Mello had visions of them living together in the house for the next few years, not worrying about the Kira case, or Near. Just the two of them. Mello frowned, scorning himself for more useless thoughts.

Matt reappeared in the room a few minutes later. "Miss me?" He set a suitcase on the floor. He knelt down in front of it and pulled out some clothes. Some of Mello's clothes. He stood and walked over to the blonde. "Here," he said as he handed over the clothes. He also pulled out a bar of chocolate. "For you..."

Mello took the clothes and chocolate bar. Staring at them both for a second, he looked up at Matt. "What? You don't like this thing?" Mello gestured to the outfit he was wearing, giving a little spin. He grinned at Matt. "Thank you."

Matt gave a slight smile. "I figured that you might want to wear your own clothes." He walked back to the suitcase and pulled out some of his clothes. He winked at Mello and walked out of the room heading for the bathroom, to bathe and change. As he walked down the hall he started to hum.

Mello wondered how Matt always seemed prepared for situations like this. Shrugging it off, Mello undid the tie to his outfit and let it fall to the floor. His clothes would come later, now it was time for chocolate. Unfolding the gold wrapper, he took a small bit, tasting it. Yep, perfect. The next bit was considerably larger. Mello sat on the futon, wondering if Matt deserved a prize for supplying one of these for him.

Matt arrived at the bathroom and stripped off his clothes after rerunning the bath water. He stepped in and relaxed into the warmth of the liquid surrounding him. He leaned his head back on the back of the bath and sighed. His muscles became loose and relaxed after a while. He had been tense for to long. He drew circles in the water lazily, mentally taking note that he should take baths more often. After relaxing for a while he set about the task of scrubbing himself clean.

Once he determined that he was clean he let himself relax in the bath, nearly falling asleep after a while. It was a bout twenty minutes before he finally got out and dried off, putting on his clothes which consisted of loose fitting jeans and a black long sleeved shirt. These were an older pair of clothes. The ones he had brought for Mello were fairly new, considering he had one bought them for the blonde a few months ago, just incase they had to fly away together. He left the bathroom and headed back to the bedroom, thinking about how much he wanted his goggles back.

Mello continued munching on the chocolate, hearing the bath water being run again. Matt must have been serious about cleaning himself. Mello tired to calculate the last time both of them had had proper baths before they made it to the house. Shuddering slightly at the thought, he realized it had been quit a while. Mello took a smaller bit of his food, looking over to observe what clothes Matt had brought him. Leather. Most of his clothes consisted of black, but leather was also a main point to them. Picking up a pair of leather pants, Mello pulled them closer for a better look

Mello had finished the chocolate bar, and was trying his best to get the rest of it off the wrapper. Licking it completely, the only other thing Mello had accomplished in the last twenty minutes was getting his pants on. The leather was tight, just how he liked it. The pants left nothing to the imagination as they were extremely low cut. Sitting with his back to the wall, Mello continued to lick away the chocolate, neglecting the small amount on his face.

Matt walked into the room. He saw Mello sitting on the futon leaning against the wall, finishing off the chocolate bar, with only his pants on. The red head smiled and walked over to the blonde. He sat down next to him and leaned against the wall as well. He didn't say anything, more because he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't upset or annoy Mello.

Mello moved, leaning next to Matt. His pants creaked a little at the shift of weight. Mello turned to Matt, seductively licking his ear. Mello nipped at Matt, licking and sucking on the man's ear. Mello was in a strange mood after eating the chocolate. Probably because it had been so long sense his last helping.

Matt gave a slight jerk not expecting Mello to abandon the chocolate for him instead. He gave a soft moan, before going slightly red. It seemed like the oddest things turned him on. Though it could have been just because Mello was doing it.

Mello gave Matt's ear one more lick before breathing warm air along it. "Thanks for the chocolate." He whispered, letting his lips occasionally brush against the man's ear. Smiling to himself, Mello stood, pushing himself off the wall and looking for his shirt. The vest was more for show, not really keeping him warm, or covering him from onlookers.

Matt watched Mello get up and grab his shirt. "You're...welcome?" He sounded flushed and unsure. He hadn't expected that reaction at all. Needless to say it threw him off guard.

Mello found the vest, slipping it over his wrapped arm. The bandage protruded greatly, but Mello didn't mind much. Zipping it, Mello look around for something. Maybe Matt had packed one of his many pieces of jewelry. The long rosary was one of his favorite pieces, but that must have fallen off awhile ago. He scanned the floor, wondering if he could find anything.

Matt watched Mello look for something else. It took a bit for the red head's slightly fuzzy mind to comprehend what Mello was looking for. He got up and walked over to the suitcase. Opening the top pocket he pulled out a strand of beads with a Maltese cross on it. He stood and walked over to Mello. "It's not yours...but you can wear it...hell, you can have it, I have no use for it." It was Matt's mother's rosary, the last thing that he had to remind him that he used to have parents.

Mello took the rosary, turning it in his hands. It appeared to be very old, and some of the spots of color had started to wear away from being handled too much. Mello looked back up at Matt. Obviously this wasn't just 'nothing.' This must be something very important to the man. Mello undid the small clamp, and put it around his neck. It fell nicely over his chest, adding just what he needed to his normal outfit. "It's...nice." Mello was uncomfortable with expressing gratitude for such a heartfelt present.

Matt gave a slight sad smile. "It was my mother's." He fell quiet because he didn't know what else to say. He went back over to the suitcase and pulled out a PSP. He flipped it on and went to playing a newer video game that he had started about two months ago and never got to finish.

Mello was at a loss for words. His mother's? Matt never talked about his family. No one who came from the Whammy house ever did. It was just a constant reminder how they didn't belong, and that this was the only place they had left. Fidgeting with it slightly, Mello knew he already favored it more then all his other jewelry

He leaned against the wall and slid down until he was in a sitting position. He glanced up from his PSP and looked at Mello. He watched the blonde twiddle the necklace that he had given him. He gave a light chuckle. _'Speechless?' _He went back to his PSP and started to hum a tune. It was something he rarely did. Hum or sing, but for some reason when he was around Mello he found himself doing it more often.

Mello crouched down where he stood, bringing his knees to his chest. "I didn't know you could sing until a few days ago." He had heard Matt humming, liking the sound of the red heads voice. Turning slightly pink Mello pressed for more information. "Who made that song you sang a few days ago?" Mello was unsure how to word his request, but he thought if he pushed Matt enough about the topic, maybe Mello would get what he wanted.

Matt looked up from his PSP again, staring at Mello for a moment. "That song? It's an old song from America. The man's name is Elvis Presley." Matt doubted that Mello would have heard of him, thinking the blonde didn't really listen to local music let alone something from another country, especially since it wasn't even recent.

Mello pondered this for a second. He had never been one for music until now, so it was no surprise he had never heard of this man. "...Does everyone know this song?" Mello questioned, watching Matt play his game. He noticed how Matt looked strangely vacant. Something about what Matt had on just wasn't right. It wasn't like he didn't have pants on, Mello would surly be able to pick that out. What was wrong with his appearance? Suddenly it hit him. Matt didn't have any goggles. Where had they gone? They had probable fallen off during the crash, or had been left behind while fleeing the house. Mello made a mental note to look for something like that for Matt.

Matt thought a moment about Mello's next question. "Well, it was really popular back in the mid-fifties in America." He paused, thinking again, making sure he had had his facts straight. "It's not as popular now, but the new generation of music is somewhat influenced by Elvis, since he was considered the king of Rock 'n' Roll." He saved his game and shut off the PSP. He looked up at Mello again, "Why?"

Mello blushed, looking away. "No reason..." He thought how he could bring up the subject again without seeming out of the ordinary. "I just wanted to know." Mello looked out the window; the sun was staring to rise over the wall of the house.

Matt gave a slight shrug and turned on his PSP returning to the game, not thinking too much into the questions that Mello had asked him. _'He was probably just curious...' _Matt started to hum again, not really thinking about it, focusing on his game.

Mello sighed. His mood had done a 180 from a few minutes ago, and he now felt almost sad and lonely. Crawling over to Matt, Mello sat close, leaning in and putting his head on Matt's shoulder to watch him play his game. In reality, Mello just wanted to hear him hum over the annoying beeping of the video game.

Matt glanced at Mello for a moment, before his gaze went back to his game. It seemed almost like Mello wanted something from him, but Matt couldn't figure it out. He continued to hum for a moment, playing his video game, before he paused it and glanced at Mello again. "Mello?"

"What, Matt?" Mello said, slightly too harshly. For the first time he felt that his words had come out wrong. Sighing a little, he just closed his eyes. _'Don't stop humming.' _He thought to himself. He was starting to feel angry, almost ready to yell and throw things. He tired to take another calming breath, but nothing was helping.

Matt didn't say anything more. He shut off the PSP not even bothering to save the game. He knew that something was bothering Mello and the blonde did not want to talk about it. He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. He became bored quickly and started to softly hum again.

Mello kept his eyes closed, listening to the soft sound of Matt humming and breathing. If Mello listened closely enough, he could hear the soft pound of Matt's heart beat as he laid his head on his shoulder. His anger slowly disintegrated, as Mello felt a wave of calm wash over him. Damn Matt and his ability to send him through a thousand different mood swings.

Matt continued to hum, his voice getting a bit louder. He could feel the tenseness in the room ebb away. _'Maybe...he wanted me to sing...' _It would make sense, he was asking about the song he had sung earlier. He started to murmur the words to the song that he had been humming. _"If I lay here, if I just lay here. Would you lie with me and just forget the world…"_

Mello relaxed, feeling extremely happy the second he heard Matt start to sing quietly. He had never heard the song, but that wasn't really important. Mello thought it strange that something so simple that Matt did could make him so happy. It might be the sound of Matt's voice that was the real cause of this happiness. Before when they were just business partners, neither of them said much to one another. Mello continued to lean in close and listen to Matt sing.

_"I don't quite know how to say, how I feel...those three words, are said too much. They're not enough." _Matt felt Mello adjust and relax. _'So I was right...' _He smiled and continued to sing. _"If I lay here, if I just lay here. Would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what were told, before we get too old. Show me a garden that's bursting into life..."_

Mello was surprised the song sounded so good without the background music. Maybe Mello just really wanted to hear Matt sing. That could be the reason it sounded so good. He found himself smiling for no real reason.

To be honest it was kind of odd. Sitting there singing for Mello. He had never thought that he would ever sing for anyone. He had been trained at the Whammy house to sing, because it was one of his strengths, and odd strength but they focused on anything that you were good at, anything could help you as L. It was impossible to tell what skills you needed. _"Let's waste time, chasing cars, around our heads. I need your grace, to remind me, to find my own. If I lay here, if I just lay here. Would you lie with me and just forget the world? Forget what were told, before we get too old. Show me a garden that's bursting into life. All that I am, all that I ever was, was here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see. I don't know where, confused about how as well. Just know that these things will never change for us at all. If I lay here, if I just lay here. Would you lie with me and just forget the world..." _The song came to and end. Matt looked at Mello, wondering if the blonde wanted him to keep singing.

Mello felt rather content. He had settled himself leaning almost completely on Matt. The song had ended awhile ago, and Mello wasn't happy to just let the silence stretch on. Maybe they could go explore the rest of the house today. If Mello remembered right, there was a lot of garden to see. Mello couldn't remember if his father had ever owned a work shed. Maybe if he had, Mello could find some old work goggles for Matt.

Matt remained silent unwilling to break the silence and Mello's staying calm. He just sat there sort of staring at Mello, as if he was a puppy waiting for it's master's next order. In the silence Matt started to think about what would happen next. He knew that Mello would never give up on the Kira case and beating Near, he also knew that the case would be the end of his life. He couldn't exactly explain it, but he had a feeling that they were just pawns in a great game being playing by two gods. Of course he didn't believe in gods, but the feeling was still there.

Mello broke the silence, sighing and getting up off the wall. He stretched his hinds up over his head and yawned. "Mmm...We need to go get some food. I don't trust anything that's in this house. I'm not sure where the nearest grocery store is from here..." Mello looked at Matt still on the ground.

Matt broke from his thoughts and gave a slight nod. "I'll find one and get some food and chocolate." He stood and dusted off his pants. His brain understood the sentence "We need to go get some food," as "you need to go get some food." He understood it only as an order, already falling back into that habit of thinking that he and Mello were not equal. Mello was the boss and the genius and he was the subordinate and the reject.

Mello was a little surprised when Matt said 'he' would go find some food. Maybe he just needed some time alone. Both of them had never been people to spend extensive amounts of time with people. Mello shrugged, walking out of the room and out of the house.

Matt walked out of the house as well; he glanced at Mello for a moment before getting into the car and driving off, leaving behind only dust. It was oddly surreal. They had been together for most of the last few months after Mello had been horrible injured after he was nearly caught and killed by the Japanese Police. Matt was hesitant to leave Mello, but he had been given an order, Mello wasn't going to leave. Not yet anyway...

Mello watched Matt drive away, wrapping an arm around himself protectively. He had wanted to go with, but thought it better to just let Matt do it his way. As soon as the car was out of sight, Mello turned back to the house. He had never been left alone with it. The thought of being slightly scared angered Mello. It was just a house. Deciding he didn't want to go back inside, Mello decided to wonder around the grounds until Matt got back.

888

Matt pushed his bangs out of his eyes as he drove. He half wondered if he would be able to find his way back. He didn't think Mello had his cell on him anymore so he couldn't call that. He quickly shook the thoughts out of his head, he'd remember. He flipped on the radio and turned the channel to something hard rock. An unknown Japanese rock band blared over the radio. Matt preferred American music to Japanese, but this would do for now at least it kept his mind off of what ifs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

If Mello remembered right, there was a small lake in the back of the property. The land was fairly large considering the house was so far away from all the others. Taking a small stone path, he wondered down through the various gardens. Most of them had gone out of repair, letting weeds grow, and strange flowers bloom over the previous ones. Mello kept walking for awhile, finding the gardens getting fewer and fewer. Soon he came to a small, old Japanese style bridge. _'Tacky.'_ was the only word to come to Mello's mind as he crossed over the creaky stairs.

Matt had reached the store and gotten everything they would need for a few weeks without much incident. He was now heading back. He followed the road, it wad pretty much a straight shot back to the house. He was being stupid to think that he wouldn't remember where it was. He pulled the car into the gated area and took the bags out of the car. He didn't buy anything that would need to be refrigerated because he wasn't sure if there was one. So he just set it on the table in the living room near the front door. He looked around for Mello, not seeing the blonde in the house he went back outside, then after a moment around the back.

Mello had ventured to the very back of the property, leaving common sense behind and going off the trail. By the time he found the lake, he was out of breath and ready to sit down. Finding a dry bolder by the edge of the small lake, Mello perched himself on it. The lake used to have many flowers and beautiful landscaping around it. Now it was just run down and starting to turn green. Part of him wished that he had just gone back into the house.

Matt gave a slight growl went he saw how much land was behind the house. "Why are you making me search for you, Mello?" He sighed and started to walk around, trying to think like the blonde and try to follow him. He could sort of see his path through the over grown and un-kept gardens.

After awhile of sitting and starring at the run down lake, Mello was getting tired. He didn't like to think of this place as run down, or getting old. The house and the property held a special meaning to him, being his very first home. Suddenly a rustling sound was heard from behind him. Mello turned, standing on top of the bolder for a better look. Before he could really observe his surroundings for what made the sound, he lost his footing, slipping and falling backwards.

Matt saw Mello fall backwards off the large rock. He jumped over the other rocks and ran over to the blonde, splashing into the lake to catch him before he fell. Mello landed near bridal style in his arms. He smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "I'm home..." He was oddly extremely happy to see the blonde. He had actually missed him during the twenty or so minutes he was gone.

Mello fell, expecting to hear a splash. Instead he felt someone catch him. Embarrassed to be caught off guard, he looked up seeing who it was that stopped him from falling. "Matt..." He flushed, noticing the weird position they were in. "Welcome home. Now put me down."

Matt gave him a slight smile. "In the water or out of the water?" He wasn't caught off guard by their position. They had been in worse.

Mello glared at Matt. "Out." He worried Matt would also lose his footing and they would both end up getting wet. "Don't drop me." Mello felt like that came out wrong. What he really wanted to say was 'I'm happy you're back.'

Matt leaned close and whispered in Mello's ear. "I won't." He gave it a soft nip before setting Mello on the ground out of the lake he made sure the male was steady before getting out himself. "I bought you chocolate." He gave him a slight smile holding out a bar of South American chocolate, something that was usually hard to come by.

Mello took the bar, smiling, but only briefly. "Mm." He grunted, turning away from Matt and unwrapping the bar. He licked the chocolate lightly before taking a bite out of it. The taste was smooth, and extremely delicious. "Well done. Let's go back." Mello didn't even look back, starting to head up the moody trail back to the house.

Matt followed Mello up the hill without a word. What had he wanted from Mello? A big welcome home, delight at his return. How un-Mello like would that be? It would be more creepy then comforting. Then why did he feel slightly disappointed at the blonde's reaction?

Mello walked all the way back to the house, entering to the greeting area. He noticed how muddy his shoes were. Sliding them off, Mello decided to leave them there and go in barefoot. Hoping Matt would do the same, he ventured farther into the house. The kitchen like area was near the front, and Mello went to check and see if that was where Matt left all the food.

Matt noticed Mello's shoes at the door, so he took his off as well. He noticed that they were caked with mud. _'Jeez...I didn't even notice...well, I was in the lake.'_ It was then he noticed that he pants where wet to the knees and he was starting to feel the chill from it. Still he followed Mello for the blonde had not released him from his side.

Entering the dark kitchen, Mello went to open a window, letting light into the room. After inspecting most of the shelves, he found the food the Matt had brought. He inspected most of it, deciding that it was good that none of it needed to be refrigerated. Once all was deemed good, Mello turned. He noticed Matt standing in the middle of the kitchen. "Your pants are filthy and tracking mud. Take them off." He said, giving an order. "Now." He added, not wanting to have to deal with cleaning the trail they would leave to the bedroom.

Matt gave a little sigh. He unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his pants, taking them off and folding them up so they wouldn't drip mud anywhere else. He was now standing in the kitchen, in front of Mello, with only black boxers and a black long-sleeved shirt. It was an odd outfit.

Mello smirked. "I hope you have something else to put on." He started to walk out of the kitchen, looking disgustedly at the dirt on the floor. Stopping he turned back to Matt with a grin on his face. "Though that outfit is very becoming of you. I don't mind if you stay like that."

Matt gave him an unamused look. "It's a bit cold for that, don't you think." He didn't realizing the many different ways Mello could talk that sentence, he just meant that he was annoyed that Mello had literally ordered his pants off of him.

Mello laughed, "It's never too cold, Matt." He took in the sight of Matt standing in the kitchen in his underwear. Giving Matt a look, Mello left the room. Even in the short twenty minutes that he was gone, Mello had missed interaction with him.

_'Which look was that?'_ Out of all of Mello's looks there were only two that he could decipher; well that's how it used to be. It seemed like there were more now. Matt gave a little sigh and walked out of the room. He went upstairs to put on a new pair of pants.

Wondering down the hall, Mello ended up in the bathroom. The warm air was a comfort as he slide the door open. Matt would eventually come looking for him. Mindlessly, he itched at the bandage around his shoulder. He thought of pealing it off, but quickly disbanded that thought. Matt would put something else strange on it. Ignoring the bandage completely, Mello hoped that if they just didn't talk about it, they wouldn't need to treat it.

Searching through the suitcase Matt found that he had little choice in clothing. He only had two more pairs of pants and both of them were a lot tighter then his other pants. Giving a slight sigh he pulled one of the pairs of dark blue jeans on. He looked down at the pants for a moment; they fit just not in his normal definition of the word. He wandered out of the room and searched for Mello, he found him just standing in the bathroom. "You must really like this room..."

Mello had been unconsciously itching his arm, but stopped as soon as he heard Matt speak. Looking over at him, Mello smirked. "Nice pants." He noticed to how tight they were. Suddenly he frowned, "What did you do with the dirty ones? You didn't leave them on the floor." Mello's eyes were wide, warning Matt of his actions.

"No, they're not on the floor." Mello could be odd about dirt sometimes. It was at these times that Matt wondered if Mello was a germaphobe or a neat freak. Though there were other instants when the thought would be wiped from his mind.

Mello went back to itching his arm. "Good." He liked things in order, especially when it came to his house and possessions. Everything had a place. It just irked him when things were just left on the floor, or not put away correctly.

Matt stared at Mello. "Will you stop screwing with the bandages? If it's bothering you we should probably change them. And don't worry; we're done with the blue stuff, just as long as you clean your arm before you put new bandages on." He gave him a slight smile. Wondering how Mello would react.

Mello quickly stopped touching them, putting his hand back at his side. "They don't need to be changed. It just hurts and itches." He said firmly, glaring at Matt. Hadn't Matt hurt his back during the accident? Why wasn't he hurting as much as Mello?

Matt gave a little shrug. "If you say so." He would let Mello do as he liked about his arm now, it was basically healed anyway. He probably didn't even need the bandages either. They weren't deep cuts after all. Matt wandered out of the bathroom heading back to the room to get his DS.

Mello frowned, folding his arms. Whatever. How the hell was Matt just up and walking around. He had been in the same bike accident. Why wasn't he feeling it the same way Mello was? Frustratingly, he picked at the bandages. Tugging at one of the seams to hard, the ties came undone. "Damn it." Sighing harshly, he slowly unraveled the white cloth. Crumpling the dirty bandages, Mello looked around for a garbage can. He found one in the corner, and tossed it in. Something caught his eye, sparkling in the light. Walking closer to the garbage, Mello reached down to inspect. Carefully picking though the contents, Mello pulled out what seemed to be a few used needles. The caps had been replaced, but he could still tell that they were used. Gently he removed the caps, touching the needle. It had been a clear liquid before being injected. A number of things ran though Mello's mind as to what could have been in them. Suddenly it hit him. Recapping the needle, he gripped them tightly and turned to fallow Matt. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Matt. Angrily, Mello threw the needles at Matt. "What the fuck are these?!" He yelled, gesturing to the needles now on the ground.

Matt looked at the needles his face paling slightly. How could he have been so stupid? He should have destroyed the needles right after he used them. He should have known that Mello would find them. _"Maybe you wanted him to find them..." _hissed a voice in the back of Matt's head. The red head stayed silent contemplating what to say. He could feign innocence but that was completely ludicrous at this point. He wondered how he could explain the needles to Mello. "It's not what you think..."

Mello glared, "It's not what I fucking THINK?! Then what the hell is it?" Mello walked farther into the room. "That's why you've been fine. You know how I feel about that shit!" He gritted his teeth angrily, making a face at Matt. "You should have said something." This time Mello's voice rang with a slight amount of hurt. "You're fucking sick." He turned to walk out of the room, disgusted at Matt.

Matt moved as if he was going to reach out and grab Mello's shoulder but thought better of it. "Mello...I..." He paused trying to figure out a good way to put it. "It's not drugs...well...it is, but it's not heroin or anything like that." He felt stupid; he had never screwed up with Mello like this before. The closest he had ever come was the time Mello had seen him drunk, the blonde was pissed, but it was no where near this. "What was I supposed to say anyway...my ribs are nearly broken but I know we can't go to the hospital? What would you have said, Mello? Forget the Kira case, we'll find you a doctor some place safe? I doubt it, so I took care of it on my own like you've always told me to do. YOU don't have time to deal with my problems, remember, Mello?!"

Mello spun on his heals. "Deal with your problems? You are a problem! You should have fucking said something! We could have done something other then you taking MORPHENE! You don't have to be such a martyr, MATT!" Mello was practically growling, teeth gritted and all. "You're probably addicted to the shit now. You know how much money it's gonna cost to keep you high all the time?!"

Matt gave a slight growl. "I'm not addicted...and I wasn't trying to be a martyr." He fell silent for a moment. Wasn't there an unspoken agreement about them fighting? Wasn't it that they weren't going to do it anymore? But he wasn't just going to shut-up and let Mello scream at him until he was done. He shot a glare at the blonde, this time actually yelling at him when before he was rather calm. "Maybe I'm not fucking used to you fucking caring about people! How the hell was I supposed to know that you would fucking care about me! Your subordinate! YOUR SLAVE! And If I'm such a fucking problem Mello maybe you should have just let me die or why don't you fucking blow my fucking head off, Mello? It's not like you haven't done it before to people who are more of a problem then they are help to you! Go ahead! IF IT'LL MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER THEN DO IT! FUCKING SHOOT ME!"

Mello laughed, sneering at Matt. His laughter was unpleasant, and obviously insulting. Slowly, he pulled his gun out of the back of his pants, and aimed it at Matt's head. "Maybe I should shoot you, because you're not the guy I know." He kept eye contact with Matt. "Your fucking ass deserves to be shot for not listening, or telling me what's going on." Mello cocked the gun. "Maybe I should just shoot you, because you're just too stupid for words." Mello un-cocked the gun, throwing it hard at Matt. "You're just such an idiot!"

For a second Matt actually thought that Mello was going to shoot him. It froze his mind and blood. His heart beat so fast he thought it would break free from his body. His mind snapped back into awareness when Mello threw the gun at him. Matt ducked to avoid the flying gun, it hit the floor and spun to the back wall were it stopped relatively harmless. Matt looked at Mello. "What the hell! Are you stupid? The safety wasn't on, if that had hit the floor right you could have killed either of us!"

Again Mello let loose a horrible cackle, laughing at Matt. He stopped just as abruptly, looking at him. "Then maybe I could have shot some sense into you." He walked closer to the man, getting in his face. Suddenly, Mello backhanded Matt as hard as he could across his face. "Stop injecting that shit into your skin and we'll go get your fucked up wounds looked at. If you had been smart enough to just get them looked at when they happened we wouldn't have to talk about this." He wiped his hand off in his pants, as if he touched something dirty.

Matt was slightly surprised when his head suddenly snapped to the right. He hadn't actually expected Mello to hit him. He almost felt like a child receiving their first scolding from their mother. He could feel his left cheek turn red from the force of the blow. Matt was only stunned for a moment before he glanced and Mello and gave a nice right hook to his jaw. The force of the punch sent Mello to the ground. "What ever the hell I do to my own body is my own fucking business. I DON'T BELONG TO YOU!"

Mello was caught severely off guard when he felt Matt's fist connect with his jaw. He had attempted to step backwards, away from him, but instead took the full force of the blow. Flying off his feet, Mello landed on his back. The taste of iron filled his mouth, as he nursed a severely bitten tongue. Standing, Mello had a fire in his eyes like no other. Angrily, he spit a bloody mess at Matt before lunging at him. He took his best shot to Matt's chest, aiming for that bruised rib.

Matt caught Mello's wrist, bending it back away from him. "You're too slow." He pushed Mello back, tripping him so he ended up on the floor. "Do you honestly think you can fight me like that? You're too dependant on that piece you're caring around with you, Mihael."

Mello landed on his back again, yelping when his hand made contact with the floor, jarring his wrist. "Fuck you, Matt." He said, much quieter, holding his wrist. Getting up slowly, Mello wished that he had something else to throw at him. How dare he use his real name. He looked unhappily at Matt. He knew he would never win in a fist fight. Spitting again, Mello tried his best to take another shoot at Matt. His anger flared, wanting to punch some sense into the man.

Matt blocked him again pushing him to the floor again. "Stupid, Mihael." He took a slight step back. He stood still waiting for Mello to get up again. The blonde was up again quickly taking another swing at him. His moves, however, were too easy to read and Matt tripped him back to the floor. This time Mello landed flat on his back, probably winding him.

Mello didn't get up this time, instead curling up and coughing, trying to catch his breath. Matt had pushed him a little too hard, and Mello was starting to feel it. Suddenly his vision started to blur with tears. Mello wasn't sure if it was because he had the wind knocked out of him, or he was hurt by Matt's actions. Slowly, he got to his knees, and then to his feet. "I hate you." He gritted out, letting tears stream down his cheeks.

Matt felt as if he had been thrown into an ice bath. The shock of the words hit him harder then any physical blow that Mello could throw. He stared at the blonde dumbfounded. He wanted to say, 'You don't mean that,' and have Mello assent to the fact that he didn't. Matt was speechless. He didn't know what to do. He just prayed that Mello didn't mean it...he didn't want the blonde to hate him. Not when...he loved him, more then life itself.

The fact that Matt didn't say anything angered and hurt Mello even more. Why was he just staring at him? Mello clenched his fists. A wave of unmistakable anger flooded the boy like fire. "G...g-get out! Just GET OUT! I FUCKING HATE YOU! HOW COULD YOU?!" He screamed, spitting small spatters of blood. Mello wasn't sure if he was talking about the drugs, hitting him or the fact that all of this had happened anymore. He vaguely thought about the fact that Matt was on morphine right now, and may not be able to control his actions well. Whatever it was, Mello had reached his boiling point. "J-JUST FUCK YOU, MAIL." A strange sobbing sound escaped Mello's lips. "I DON'T WANT YOU ANYMORE! JUST g-get out!" Mello curled into himself, wrapping his arms around his middle.

"_I don't want you anymore..." _The sentence echoed oddly in Matt's head. He felt as if his heart had been torn into shreds. He couldn't move for a few moments. "Me--" His voice died. He bit his lower lip so hard that he could taste blood. He unbelted his gun from around his waist and dropped it to the ground. He looked away from Mello, tears burning in his eyes. He walked unsteadily from the room. He paused for a moment at the door then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He looked at it for a moment before throwing it as hard as he could at the back wall, it nearly shattered. He ran from the room, the house. He ran until he reached the main highway, and then broke down. Falling to his knees, his eyes closed tightly against the tears threatening to fall.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

It had been almost two months sense the incident. For the first week Mello had been in an almost state of shock. Wondering from room to room, only eating when he couldn't take being hungry anymore. He was still angry with Matt, but the anger soon turned to loneliness. He had waited for Matt to come back, carrying around the broken cell phone everywhere he went. He was convinced that the man just needed a few days to cool off. Mello stayed at the house, talking to no one and only making one excursion out to get more food. He didn't stay out long; worried that Matt might come back and think he had left. Days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Mello felt like a wreck, pacing the rooms aimlessly, and yelling when no one was there to yell at. The Kira case didn't matter anymore, and Mello started getting jumpy at any sound. When the house would creak, he would be convinced that it was someone walking around.

Mello wondered into the bathroom. The wounds he had gotten from the accident had faded and could barely be seen anymore. He had stopped wearing the bandage two weeks after Matt had left. Besides, Mello couldn't wrap them the same way Matt could with only one arm. The house had grown a more homely feel, seeing as it was being used again. Mello had spent one day a few weeks ago cleaning the entire house. Things to do had gotten few and far between. Mello ran some new water to help heat the house. It had become a dull winter, and all the rooms lacked central heating. Suddenly, Mello started searching franticly, looking at the floor as if it had taken something from him. Getting down on his hands and knees, Mello crawled around, looking under everything. Finely, pulling something out from under a chair, he calmed down. Holding the cell phone tenderly in his hands, he flipped the top up. The screen was cracked, and didn't light up, the batteries didn't work. No missed calls. Mello frowned.

**--**

Matt sighed and leaned against the window of the run down apartment. He watched common thugs on the street peddle low class drugs for a moment, before pushing himself away from the window. He walked toward the radio and turned it up slightly. _"--I knew it was too good to be true, cause I'm the only one that understands me. What happened to us? We used to be so perfect, now we're lost and lonely. What happened to us? Now I wonder did I loose my only." _Matt sang softly with the song, wandering into the kitchen. He paused for a moment, before opening the cabinets. He saw the many bars of chocolate that he kept around for Mello. How long had it been? Two months? He still felt numb from the fight. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think about going back. He was less then fifty miles away from the house. However, he severely doubted that Mello would still be there.

He felt his phone buzz, he pulled it out and looked at the text message with and arched eyebrow. "Near?" Why the hell would the albino bastard be texting him? Matt opened the message. _**I doubt that you actually know, but I figured you would be the best person to ask since he has yet to reappear again shortly after the explosion. Mello is dead, right?**_ Matt felt his heart clench. Honestly he didn't know. If Near was asking...didn't that meant there was a good chance... Matt shook his head. NO, Mello was still alive; he couldn't have died, not after what had happened. He sent a text message back to Near. _**If he was, I wouldn't tell you. **_He received a response soon after, _**I'm sorry for your loss, Matt. **_The red head's eyes widened. What did Near mean by that?

**--**

Over the next few days, a wave of depression had made its way into Mello's conscious. It had been so long sense he had talked to anyone and Matt still hadn't come back. Mello was starting to wonder if he ever would. Mello imagined himself just like his mother, waiting for her husband's return from a car crash that had killed him. Eventually she hung himself from the ceiling in the bathroom, only to be found by her young son. Mello sighed, wallowing in his own thoughts as he crawled into to futon. The bedroom with all of Matt's things in it was his favorite room second only to the bathroom. Mello had let the house grow cold, not bothering to restock the fire.

**--**

Matt gave a slight growl as he hung up the phone. He really hadn't come back. All of his mob contacts were just as clueless as he was. Matt slammed his fist into the wall. "Mello..." He grabbed his black riding jacket and keys and walked out of the apartment. He went down to the garage and walked over to his bike. He had left his car with Mello at the house. He had walked and hitch-hiked his way back to the city, where he had used what money he had to rent an apartment. He held down a "safe" job and had been in hiding these last two months. It was boring, he missed the rush of being in danger, but most of all he missed Mello. Everything about the blonde. He still loved him.

He tore out of the parking garage. There was only one more place he could think of to check. Maybe there was a slight possibility that Mello never even left the house. Matt tore down the road, breaking all speed laws. He soon hit the country roads, where no one cared how fast or how dangerous you drove. There was only one thought on the male's mind. _'Mello.'_

**--**

Mello sneezed. He had been waking up every hour or so. Shivering, he made an unpleasant noise as he tried to clear his nose. A cold had been setting in for awhile, but until recently it hadn't bothered the blonde. Mello felt miserable, trying to warm himself as he fell in and out of sleep. Awful dreams plagued him as he remembered old conversations with people, mainly Matt. Occasionally, he would dream himself finding Matt hanging from the bathroom ceiling, dead. No matter what he did, he couldn't get the rope off his neck and all he did was hang there. Mello shivered again, unable to warm himself.

**--**

Matt pulled off onto the somewhat familiar road to Mello's parents house. He stopped and got off the bike, not even bothering to make sure it was okay. The car was still there. He ran to the door. There was a chance, a better chance then before. He opened the door. The house was freezing. Doubt shuddered through his body with the cold, there's no way Mello would stay in a place so cold. The male lived for warm temperatures. Still Matt had to be sure. He checked the lower floor, before going upstairs. Fear installed on him horrible images of things that could not have happened. His heart was hammering in his chest. He stopped in front of the bed room, the door was slightly shut. He opened it, he saw the suitcase, his eyes flitted to the futon, there was something curled up underneath a mound of blankets. Matt walked closer to it. "Mello?"

Mello lay twisted in another one if his dreams. This one felt so real, as if Matt was right next to him. He didn't move, afraid the dream would turn into one where Matt would disappear and he would be found where Mello feared the most. He was breathing heavy, in the throws of a bad fever.

Matt moved closer to the futon pulling the covers away from the lump. It was Mello. Matt sighed in relief. He was alive. Matt frowned as he looked over the blonde. He was paler then usually and there was a light flush to his cheeks. Matt touched his forehead; the younger male was burning up. Matt pulled off his coat and wrapped it around Mello as best he could. The blonde was sick with a fever. Matt watched him for moment, quickly realizing that the blonde was having a fever induced dream. Those were never pleasant. Matt layed down next to Mello pulling the blonde close to him and throwing the blankets over both of them. "Mello...it's going to be alright...I'll protect you...I'm not leaving ever again."

Mello shook, his dream leading him into the bathroom to find Matt. He tired franticly to free him, in hopes that he wasn't really dead. Mello cried out, wailing for Matt to wake up and be alright. Slowly and quietly, he woke from the dream. At first he felt his grip on the broken phone and felt safe, but tensed when he felt someone next to him. Opening his eyes slightly he saw Matt lying next to him. Mello nearly wanted to cry, feeling as though he would never escape from these torturous dreams. Matt wouldn't be here, and the next time he woke up this imaginary Matt would be gone. Lazily, Mello placed the phone in the fake Matt's hand. "You left this here." he said before falling back to sleep.

Matt looked at the phone. He had thrown it at the wall, and it was basically destroyed. Why had Mello kept it? Had it been his last hold on the hope that Matt would return. Guilt washed over the elder boy. He had been away for two months living a new life, meeting new people, while Mello stayed here, waiting for him to come back. Matt bit his lip, feeling his heart clench. He didn't even care that it was Mello that had sent him away. Something about his departure and stirred something in Mello and old memory that kept the boy clinging tightly to him. He felt the need to comfort and reassure Mello that he was real, that he had really come back. He kissed Mello's cheek holding him tighter. He started to sing softly, _"Wise men say...only fools rush in...but I can't help, falling in love with you. Shall I stay, would it be a sin, if I can't help falling in love with you."_

Mello's fever took another two days to break. Matt had found him at its worst point, and slowly Mello was starting to feel better. His conscious had eluded him the two days, still thinking Matt was just a new string of dreams that were ever present. Occasionally, he would wake up and mumble something, but normally fell right back to sleep. On the third day he woke, rested and willing to get up. Once he opened his eyes, light flooded his senses and he guessed that it was about mid afternoon.

Matt had not left Mello once during those two days, nursing him back to heath with what limited supplies they had. He had spent most of his time watching the blonde sleep, wondering what was going through his head, barely sleeping himself. Currently Matt was half asleep; his body had become used to a regular sleep schedule over the past two months and was fighting with his brain's decision to stay awake.

Mello felt like his skin was sweaty, probably from his fever breaking. What really confused him was that his back felt warm, as if another heat source was next to him. Rolling over, Mello's heart leapt out of his chest. Matt!? He knew he wasn't dreaming anymore. Matt seemed too real. Mello just lay there feeling like a deer in the headlights. This couldn't be real, not after two months. Why would he come back? Not after all the things they said to one another. Mello finally noticed that he had Matt's coat wrapped tightly around him. He fingered the soft white fur with shaky hands, still unsure of what to do. Slowly he inched closer to Matt, putting his head against the man's chest. The heart beat was steady.

Matt felt Mello shift against him. He opened his eyes slightly looking down at the blonde. He wasn't sure what to say or if he should say anything. It looked like Mello's fever had finally broken so they would be able to leave the house and continue working on the Kira case. Matt had kept up with the news of the case, just incase Mello came searching for him, pulling rank and have him help end the case. The red head never thought that Mello would be here, by himself. _'I can't believe you stayed...I can't believe that you waited for me.'_

Mello clung to Matt, starting to worry that this was way too good to be true and that the second he took his eyes off the man he would just disappear. Mello enjoyed this feeling of being near someone alive. Matt was so warm, unlike the cold house. He was breathing, his chest's slight rise and fall was proof enough. Mello looked up, making eye contact with Matt. He felt like screaming and shouting, like giving Matt a good smack for just leaving him. Mello felt like maybe he was on the verge of tears, and he could laugh at how Matt came back like an obedient puppy. Instead he just smiled, clinging desperately hoping Matt wouldn't leave. "Welcome back."

"I'm sorry it took me so long..." murmured Matt. He could feel the younger male cling tighter to his shirt, pressing closer to his body. The red head adjusted his arms wrapping Mello in a soft embrace. He was tempted to lie there with him forever. What did the rest of the world matter to them? Everyone thought Mello was dead and only Near had any idea where Matt had been. He didn't like the boy, but he knew that Near would consider him dead if he didn't show up for a while.

Mello yawned, and if possible, pressed closer. He had lacked none fever induced warm for so long; Matt's natural heat was comforting. "I didn't want to leave without you." He closed his eyes, struggling with himself. "Are you really back?"

Matt lifted Mello's chin so he could look into his eyes. "Yeah...I am." He leaned down and kissed Mello's lips softly as if to reinforce the words.

Mello kissed back, parochially shocked at how solid and warm Matt's lips were. Half of him still expected the next time he went to touch Matt, for his hand to pass right through him. Maybe he would just disappear into thin air.

Matt broke the kiss and smiled at Mello, "I have an apartment not to far from here. We could go...there..." He paused; Mello was looking at him with the oddest expression on his face. Like was trying to decide if he was real or not. "Mello? Are you okay?"

Mello let go of Matt, his mood changing in a heartbeat. "I'm..." He was suddenly angry at this fake Matt. He was just trying to lead him away from the house. Mello had to wait for the real Matt to come back. But that wouldn't happen because the real Matt was mad, and just needed some time to cool off. Mello decided he had had enough, and tried to stand. Not moving very much for the past few days had not been a good idea and Mello was trying in vain to work his shaky legs.

Matt stood, grabbing a hold of Mello, trying to steady him. "Mello...you probably shouldn't be moving too much, you did just come out of a fever. We don't have to leave...if you don't want to." Matt could tell that Mello was annoyed, but he couldn't figure out if it was something he did or not.

Mello pulled away, only succeeding in throwing himself off balance and falling backwards. He was just making himself more and more upset. "He's not back yet." He said softly. Mello clenched on to the cross around his neck as he made another desperate attempt to get up. "You're not really him! He's gonna come back..." Mello stumbled backwards again, like a hurt animal. His body was already feeling tired from all the movement.

Matt gave Mello a pained look. "Mello..." How could he convince him that he was really back? It seemed that something in Mello's mind had unhinged after all. _'What am I going to do?'_ He cast his mind for something he could say to convince Mello that he was the real deal.

Mello took steps until his back hit the wall. Panting slightly, he slid down until he was in a sitting position with his knees drawn up to his chest. He looked up at Matt with a look that said he had expected him to disappear like some ghost. Feeling a substantial difference in temperature, he shivered. The fires hadn't been restocked in days, and the house seemed much warmer from under the blankets.

Matt moved closer to Mello. He knelt in front of the blonde. "Mello...tell me what's going through your head." He was still trying to figure out how to convince Mello that he was real.

Mello twisted and turned the necklace in his hands. Matt had given this to him. "I didn't mean it..." Mello's thoughts were sporadic, like firefly's disappearing and reappearing in the dark. "I couldn't help myself." All the months' events were crashing down on him. "Why didn't he come back?" He laced his fingers in his hair, holding his head. "Please don't do that. I don't want it I swear." Mello was whispering now. "I'm sorry..."

Matt felt his heart clench. _'Mello.'_ He felt like he was on the verge of tears. "Don't...don't apologize...you don't need to. Mello...what can I say to prove to you that I'm really here." He reached out to touch Mello. "Mello..."

Mello's head snapped up at the feel of Matt touching his arm. He stared at him with a look like he had just noticed the man's presence. He felt like he was flickering in and out of dreams. He had wanted Matt to come back, but his mind wouldn't let him forget what had driven the man away. Mello's head started to spin, the room tipping from side to side like a rocking ship. How long had he been in bed? His body must still be tired. Mello's mind kept echoing the sound of Matt throwing his phone against the wall and running out of the house.

The red head was lost. He didn't know what to do and he felt like shouting. Shaking Mello and telling him to snap out of it. This wasn't the Mello he knew, where was the cruel calculating man that would stop at nothing to get what he wanted? Where had the "real" Mello gone? Matt was finding that he disliked this Mello, the one who reminded him of a frightened child. Mello had never acted like this before, not even at the Whammy house. He was always cruel, always calculating, always on a short fuse, always eating chocolate, always competing with Near, always trying to be the best. That was the man Matt fell in love with and that was the man Matt wanted back. The knowledge that he had, had a big part in the destruction of Mello's personality scared him and pissed him off. For the life of him he couldn't figure out how the hell to snap Mello out of what ever he was stuck in, reliving. Matt had never really thought Mello to be stable mentally but he had also never thought that the blonde could loose it like this.

Mello cringed, reaching an arm out to the man in front of him. "Matt..." He felt dizzy, and like he was being swallowed by his own thoughts. He just needed something to hold on to. Maybe this Matt was real, he hadn't disappeared yet. Mello loved the fact that he was here and also hated that he might not be real.

Matt grabbed his hand pulling the younger male closer. He wrapped his other arm around his waist. "Mello...do you honestly think he'll come back?" Matt was trying the only thing he could think of. He was always good at annoying Mello. He was throwing all caution to the wind with this; however, this could just make things worse. "That fight was horrible...and he left you in this house all alone. Why wait for him? When you could join me." Matt hoped Mello psyche was screwed up enough to distort his image, he was sounding like Near on purpose. "We'll catch Kira, and then go on being L together. You can't have forgotten about the case that killed L, Mello. Come on, even I know you are not that idiotic."

Mello choked. Matt's voice had changed, and all of a sudden his hands on Mello were no longer welcome. His mind screamed, giving off a loud buzzing sound in Mello's ears. What was happening? Slowly, Matt was looking more and more like Near. Mello cursed himself for almost believing the dream.

Matt concentrated on what he was saying, trying to get Mello pissed off enough to hit him. He tried not to feel the rigidness of Mello's body, the blonde flinching at his touch. It was too painful to feel even though he knew it wasn't real. "We have to catch Kira for L, Mello. You know that you need my help, let us work together to catch L's killer, the fake Kami of this world." Matt paused for a moment letting the words sink in before pressing on. "Why wait for that dog of an assassin? You can always find a new one; you have so many underground contacts. You don't need him, like you need me. Together, Mello, we will surpass L."

Mello cringed, trying to get away from what was now Near knelling in front of him. He didn't want this, not anymore. All he really wanted was for Matt to come back. He was going to wait in the house for Matt to come. Mello's conscious flickered as he heard Near's insults. "Shut up...he's...he's going to..." Mello trailed off, losing himself again. "Don't..."

Matt gave a cruel laugh, "I can't believe you're standing here like a beaten puppy waiting for his master to return. Have the roles finally switched? Or where you always his bitch, Mello. Obviously he has control over you. How could you allow that reject to put any hold on you. Discard him like you've done countless times before, believe me he's out lived his usefulness. He's probably off having some whore, not even thinking about you." Matt had heard a bit of the old Mello show through for a second. He figured out what might set the blonde off, insulting himself. Apparently that ticked Mello off more now then Near just talking about L flippantly.

Mello heard a growl. He felt the vibration in his chest, but was surprised when the sound came out of his mouth. He felt like his body was fighting back, and taking charge over his mind. "Fuck you!" He stood, legs shaking, and glared at Near. "I fucking hate you, you know that?" He used the wall for support, a hand still on the cross around his neck. "I'm nobody's dog, especially yours! He's gonna come back." Mello's fists clenched.

Matt pulled himself up in generally Near's position. He gave a soft smirk. Mello was coming back around. He lifted an eyebrow to show mockery. "Really, Mello? Considering you were always second behind me." He stood moving closer to Mello again. Just begging to be hit really. "You would be considered my second in command if we worked together. It was, after all, what L wanted, wasn't it? If you weren't so caught up in that poor excuse of an assassin you would know that. He's clouding your logical judgment with his stupidity. Think Mello, why would you rely on someone so far beneath you?"

Mello felt anger at Nears words. Had Matt really been beneath him? He had never thought of it like that. Matt may listen to him, and do the things he asked, but never was he not worthy of anything. Gritting his teeth, Mello glared at Near. The boy was digging farther and farther into his nerves. Only he could make fun of Matt! "SHUT UP!" Finally Mello couldn't take it anymore, with what little energy he had left, he struck Near as hard as he could across the face. How dare he come here to say all of this. Mello's mind seemed to falter, and Near was no linger standing there. Mello wobbled on his feet, unsure of why the person standing in front of him wasn't Near but Matt. "...M-Matt..."

Matt rubbed his bruised cheek, looking at Mello with a small smile. "Yes?" He was positive that it had worked, that the 'real' Mello had appeared, returned. He hoped that the blonde's slightly frazzled mind believed that he was real now. Despite the fact that he looked like Near previously. If Mello was on sane mind currently then everything could be explained out pretty quickly.

Whatever had cause Mello to lose control of himself previously had disappeared. He stood unsure of how he became standing, or why he felt so tired. Giving one of his traditional crazy looks, Mello observed his surroundings. He remembered that Matt and him had had a fight, and that it had been two months sense Matt had left. What had he done in the time that Matt was gone? For the life of him, Mello couldn't remember. "Why..." He cleared his throat "I see your back..." Mello grinned. "Took you long enough."

Matt gave an apologetic shrug. "I didn't think that you wanted to see me ever again..." He stood still, three feet away from Mello. The old rule had come back, that was the closet he had been allowed to get to Mello, without the blonde commenting on something about him or ordering him off to do something. Matt was hesitant to get closer, wondering where they stood now after that fight and two months spent apart. "I'm sorry..."

Mello took a step closer to Matt. He reached out, gripping the man's arm tightly, and pulled up his sleeve. "You haven't used that shit in awhile. Good." Mello let go of Matt's arm, almost smiling lovingly at the man. If Matt had stopped using, then everything might be alright.

Matt gave Mello a serious look, like he was annoyed with the man. "I went to the hospital the day after I left, I spent two and half weeks there, three days on bed rest with a nurse for hire taking care of me and the rest of the two months hiding and working a 'safe' job to support myself." He stretched his arms over his head, his shirt lifting up to show a black tattoo curved around his side. He gave Mello a little smile, lowering his arms. "You have no idea how bored I was. I was hoping you'd break down my door, casually miss shooting me in the head, and then tell me to go get you some chocolate

Mello sighed. "Yeah well..." he trailed off. Looking curiously at Matt's side, Mello wondered what could be so important that he needed it carved into his skin. Mello had never been one for tattoos but maybe that was because he had never thought about it. The scares on his face and arms were tattoos enough for the man. Mello found he couldn't take his eyes off of where the dark colored flesh had been exposed.

Matt noticed Mello staring at something on his body. He lifted an eyebrow trying to figure out what Mello was staring at. "Why are you staring at me like that?" He sounded concerned. "Something wrong?"

Mello folded his arms. "That black thing...what is it?" He wasn't sure he had seen it right, and maybe it was just a shadow in the dark room. From the angle he had seen it, it looked like a tattoo.

Matt looked at him confused for a moment. He tilted his head, "Black thing?" He smiled and lifted the right side of his shirt and pulled down his pants off his hip a little ways. "I had it done when I was released from the hospital."

Mello stared at the tattoo in Matt's skin. The black had turned out to be symbols. His jaw nearly drooped when the symbols finally clicked in his mind. They were numbers, and not just any numbers, but Mello's birthday numbers. Stepping closer again, Mello ran his fingertips over the blackened flesh. The skin felt warm, and no different then the rest of Matt. "It's my birthday." He whispered.

Matt jerked slightly when Mello ran his finger tips over the tattoo. His was bit ticklish there. He smiled at Mello, "Yeah..." He couldn't say what had made him do it, he just did it. He could say that he did it for Mello, to prove that he meant what he said. "You like it?"

Mello leaned up, covering the tattoo with his hand, and kissed Matt. He liked knowing that a part of him would always be with Matt. The skin was tender there and well defined. He liked it. He liked the tattoo a lot. For a second he contemplated getting a matching one of Matt's birthday. That thought was quickly reconsidered when Mello pictured the needle digging into his skin. Maybe not, tattoos hurt.

Matt was slightly surprised when Mello kissed him. He kissed the blonde back loosely wrapping his arms around his waist. He suddenly felt the need to get closer to Mello; he pressed himself into the kiss, gripping the male tighter around the waist.

Mello felt Matt pull him closer. It had been so long sense they had had contact with one another. Mello hadn't talked to anyone in these past two months, making Matt's presence all the more strange. Keeping one hand over the tattoo, playing with the skin, he let his other hand wrap up over Matt's shoulder. Gently, Mello bit at Matt's lower lip, enjoying the contact.

Matt gave a soft moan, opening his mouth letting Mello dominate the kiss, enjoying being so close to the blonde. He could feel Mello's hand over his tattoo playing with the skin. He moved, the touch tickled a bit, but he loved the feel of Mello's hands on his body.

Mello kissed Matt passionately, trying to remember everything about the red head that he had forgotten. The previous two months still seemed like a fog to him, but if Matt didn't seem that shocked, then there must not be anything to worry about. He lazily ran a hand up Matt's shirt, feeling his abs and chest.

Matt adjusted his hold on Mello, sliding his left hand up into his hair and his right down into his back pocket. He broke the kiss and started to kiss and nip at Mello's neck. He felt almost like a drug addict that had gotten the drug he craved after years of abstinence. It seemed almost odd to compare a person to a drug, but that was what Mello was for him.

Mello's mind reeled as he felt Matt's teeth along his neck and his hand in his back pocket. His thoughts clouded and the only thing he could concentrate on was the man holding him. Mello tugged at Matt's shirt, clothing was the only thing keeping them from being close enough. No matter how thin the material, he still couldn't feel Matt's skin.

Matt moved to aid Mello in the removal of his shirt. When his shirt was about half way off his felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He gave a little inward growl wondering who the hell would be calling him. _'I knew I should have turned it off.'_

Mello had almost gotten Matt's shirt off when he heard Matt's phone ring. That in itself wouldn't have surprised him, except for the fact that the phone also vibrated. Mello gave a half yell, half moan as he felt it vibrate against him. Matt was pressed so close to him that even that little vibration was like ecstasy. "God Matt...what is that?" Mello shut his eyes tight.

"My phone..." muttered Matt, he broke away from Mello's grip and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He looked at the number, _'Restricted.' _He sighed and answered the phone, "Hello?" _**"I do hope I gave you enough time to find Mello, I need some information from him regarding the Kira case." **_Matt growled, "Near..."

Mello glared daggers at the phone. How dare Near call Matt. How did he get his number? He didn't remember ever giving that number to anyone, especially Near. "What the hell does he want?" Mello clenched his fists, unhappy that Matt had moved away.

Matt looked at Mello, "He wants to talk to you." _**"Ah, so you have found the elusive trigger happy blonde. I was unsure if you had actually gone out to look for him or not. I had hoped that my text message would have gotten you ass in gear to go look for him, since it seemed that you were refusing to do anything on your own. I'm so glad that it had an influence on you."**_ Matt glared at the phone, "Shut-up!"

Mello growled. "Give me that!" He took the phone from Matt. He could kind of hear Near through the phone, but the sound was too muffled to really understand what was being said. "What the hell do you want you albino bastard?"

_**"A little more respect from you, but that's hardly worth asking for considering you are incapable of it. In truth, I have a question about the Kira case. When your 'hide-out' was attacked you lost the death notebook to the Japanese police did you not? Of course that question has an obvious answer; you obviously lost the death notebook. I could hardly see you keeping your hands on something that important, Mello. So I suppose the real question is who did you loose the notebook to? Which police officer took it from you?" **_

Matt watched Mello listen to Near on the phone. He had no idea what the annoying brat was saying to the blonde, but he could tell that Mello was not happy. He contemplated switching on the bug on his phone, so he could listen in, but he figured that, that would just piss Mello off even more.

Mello frowned. "Screw you." Pulling the phone away from his ear, he closed it and shoved it back into Matt's pocket. "I hate that guy." He grumbled a little, folding his arms. "He wanted to know about the Kira case." He said after seeing Matt's questioning look.

Matt's eyes winded a bit when Mello shoved his phone back into his front pocket. He nearly jerked away from the blonde, unsure about how to react. He forced his mind to respond to what Mello had said about Near. "Figures..." He paused for a moment looking at Mello. "I have new information on Light Yagami and Misa Amane...if you're interested." He wanted Mello to know that he wasn't slacking these to months, he hadn't gotten a lot of information, mostly stuff from the news that he had taped, but it was better then nothing

Inwardly, Mello was laughing about Matt's reaction to the phone. "I could care less about those two." He turned, looking around the room for the suitcase. He figured they would probably be leaving the house. A small amount of sadness fell over him at the thought of leaving his family house. Though nightmares and bad memory's were based here, Mello still enjoyed being in this place. "We need to go back to the city."

Matt gave a slight nod. He let Mello's reaction about the case drop, knowing the blonde would care later, if he didn't truly now. "Currently I have an apartment just inside the city; we could stay there for tonight and move onto one of your bases." He wasn't sure what Mello would want to do, but he thought he could at least suggest something.

Mello just nodded, bending over to gather all the stuff on the floor. He had spent more then two months in the house, yet his mess was contained to just this room. Mello felt quiet, not really wanting to talk, just too numbly gather his things and leave. Vaguely he wondered if this was how he cleaned up the last time he left. Just leave everything behind.

Matt helped Mello pack up. When they were finished Matt closed the suitcase and picked it up. He looked around the room, the seemed to have gathered everything up. "Ready?" It was a surreal experience. He could understand this moment bringing back bad memories for Mello.

"Yeah…"

A/N: So that was the last chapter. From here Matt and Mello return to 'real time' in the Anime/Manga. This story took place when you didn't see them for a while. I actually don't have much to say about how this story was worked out, since it started out as a role-play between me and my friend. I got permission from her to turn it into a fanfic, but I didn't have to change much, it was more just a lot of spelling/grammar editing, which I wholly suck at I know. Hopefully I'll keep catching things as I learn to look for them. Honors Lit classes kind of skipped out on the whole grammar thing, I swear they just assumed we'd all be perfrect. ANYWAYS this will probably not be the last Death Note fic I write. I am working on another one right now, that might get posted. It's not a Yaoi though, so I know how much that disappionts you. Umm...hopefully you enjoyed this story, reviews are always nice.

Until next time,

Harkura


End file.
